Through the Eyes
by Spunky0ne
Summary: Ichigo overhears the reveal of a stunning secret Byakuya is keeping and wonders if it can possibly be true. He sets out to find answers, and is taken in a direction that he never dreamed possible as he works to unravel the truth about the enigmatic leader of the Kuchiki clan. But what will it take to win a confession from Byakuya, himself?...yaoi, Ichigo/Byakuya
1. The End

**Through the Eyes**

**By Spunky0ne**

**XXXXXXXXXX**

_**In an unguarded moment, Tetsuya Kuchiki reveals something startling about Byakuya. Ichigo's life will never be the same.**_

**XXXXXXXXXX**

**Chapter 1: The End**

Byakuya felt cold, wet droplets pelting his torn and already drenched clothing and stinging the damaged areas on his shoulders and back, bringing him back from the edges of what he had been convinced was the very end. For one disorienting moment, he was sure he had been returned to the Seireitei, to the devastating battle that had left him inches from death and completely humiliated. But he remembered then the deep immersion in hot, scathing water that had emptied him completely, that had washed away the sin of his failure and allowed him to be rebuilt. And he did not lay now, humiliated and defeated, but only sacrificed in order to achieve victory.

He experienced not a moment of doubt.

_Ichigo was victorious._

_I knew he would be._

_I am proud to have only opened the way to him. Whatever happens, I will have peace now, knowing that my faith was well placed._

_I only wish..._

Coherence began to leave him again and clear thought became impossible. But the one thing that did remain clear in his mind was that he wouldn't lie where he was, dying and forgotten. And he held on to the last fragments of life, waiting.

_He will come._

The thought comforted him and numbed the pain enough that he could drift off, his body still collapsed and facedown in a tumble of wreckage. It would have been painful if he'd had the capacity to feel where his body rested on sharp bits of broken rock and torn metal. But if he managed to survive, it would be some time before that discomfort would register again. He was grateful that he could somehow still sense the steady beat of the raindrops, like what the human folk called tears of the angels, both mourning the fallen and washing away the wickedness of the quincy king.

He wondered briefly as he faded in and out of consciousness, if his leaking blood would be completely drained soon and if that sensation would be the last one to reach him before dying. And oddly, it wasn't a distressing thought.

_It seems to erase some of the emptiness of these last years...to have finally served the most honorable of purposes, to have had to use all of the skills I had spent a lifetime developing to open the way for him. There is peace in having used everything I have and having invested all that I am. And dying in battle as my father did is a worthy sacrifice if it means that we have protected our home._

_Thank you, Ichigo._

The shinigami substitute's handsome face and friendly smile appeared in Byakuya's mind and comforted him as he lost awareness again. He woke sometime later to the feel of something warm being draped over his immobilized body and the close presence of the one he had been thinking about.

_Ichigo._

He tried to speak, but found he had no control anymore over his battered form. His eyes were open and although the images in front of him were blurry, he knew who was with him.

"Hang in there, okay?" Ichigo's voice said soothingly, "I'm here. I'll stay with you until the others can get to us. The damage to the palace is pretty bad, so it will be a little while."

Byakuya wanted to say that it didn't matter, that whatever his fate, he was at peace with it all.

_It's probably for the best I can't speak, then. Because he would only scold me and tell me it does matter, and that he's not going to let me give up and die. He's such a child sometimes. He doesn't accept that sometimes it's okay to sacrifice oneself, to shine for a moment, then fade out, to give everything to protect and to die knowing that one's life's wish was achieved. Not that I wouldn't be happy to wake up in the fourth division, to slowly heal and to resume my life. But how can anything feel like enough after this? And how can I go back to the emptiness and the question I woke up to every day._

_Why am I still breathing?_

_Did I not grow to my capacity? Put everything into perfecting my abilities and protecting my family, my friends and my king? My only regret, if I had one, would be that I never confessed what I feel for him._

"Are you warm enough now?" Ichigo asked, derailing his already shaky thought processes.

He realized suddenly that he could feel a warm hand, strong fingers gently entwined with his. And when he breathed in, Ichigo's pleasant, masculine scent reached his scrambled senses.

"You know, this isn't the first time you've tried to die on me," Ichigo chided him, "And you know I'm just not going to let you do that. So, give it up, Byakuya. You're going to survive."

"S-stubborn fool!" the Kuchiki heir spat, surprising himself by being able to speak at all.

_His very presence makes me fight harder, even when I was at peace with dying...not that I wanted to die. I just...thought that was what was happening._

_Maybe I was wrong._

"That's more like it," Ichigo said approvingly, "more like the guy I know. Thanks, by the way. That blast you caused took Ywach off guard and gave me the upper hand. That was...really reckless."

"It was...m-my choice."

"Yeah. And it helped a lot. But it was still reckless."

"Amusing," the Kuchiki heir managed, "coming from you."

"Right," Ichigo chuckled, his smile sending new flickers of warmth through Byakuya's injured body.

Unfortunately, the return of sensation brought with it the beginnings of the pain he had before been somewhat protected from.

"That's not a good look," Ichigo observed, "You're starting to feel your body again, ne?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Byakuya whispered.

"Don't worry, it shouldn't be much longer."

"Are Renji and Rukia all right?"

"Yeah. No one's broken through to us yet, but I sensed them. The king also told me that the Seireitei has been returned from the shadows. I tried sending a hell butterfly to Tetsuya to see if everyone was okay, but couldn't get that through either. But I'm sure they're fine."

"I would have sensed it if he was killed," Byakuya said quietly, "I believe they are safe. Tetsuya is strong, and the worst of the quincy army was not in the shadows."

"Right. Stop trying to talk so much. You should take it easy. You're pretty busted up."

"That hadn't escaped me."

"You really are feeling better, huh?"

"No, just more," Byakuya corrected him, "Talk about something...anything. Tell me what happened."

"Okay," Ichigo said, squeezing his hand gently, "After you caused that explosion, he was knocked off balance. I was able to bring myself to full power. And you cut off the pathway so that the other quincies couldn't get through. It was just me and him. The king sealed the room so that Ywach couldn't draw power anymore from the ones outside. So, the rest was just dodging a lot and slowly wearing him down. It was an ugly fight. He used old man Yamamoto's bankai."

"And you defeated it."

"Yeah. It was an honor, although it was really sad to see it and to know that he's gone."

The hint of a smile overtook the corners of Byakuya's mouth.

"You liked the captain commander?"

"He wasn't a bad guy," Ichigo sighed, "I mean, he could be a real jerk sometimes, but he did some real good things too. And he cared about what happened to Seireitei and the captains and subordinates who served under him. Kinda like you but a lot older and stuffier."

"Thank you...I think."

Ichigo laughed, sending fresh waves of new life through Byakuya's aching form. He squeezed the Kuchiki heir's hand again.

"You're welcome. Do you think you can move at all yet?"

Byakuya took a deeper breath, sending splinters of pain through his chest and managed to move his fingers and toes. Ichigo smiled down at him encouragingly.

"Well, that's something. A little more time and you'll be able to move your whole arm," he said, smirking good naturedly.

"I am so happy you find this amusing," Byakuya said dryly.

"And his sarcasm is back too," Ichigo noted, chuckling again, "You're definitely getting better."

He started to say more, but was interrupted by a large blast that shook the ground under them and dragged a pained groan from the collapsed captain.

"Hey, it's the cavalry," Ichigo said, giving his hand another squeeze as he fired a blaze of reiatsu into the sky.

_Red_, Byakuya noted, beginning to fade out again, _Critical injury, immediate assistance needed._

"Over here!" Ichigo cried, his voice echoing strangely in Byakuya's spinning mind and making his head ache more fiercely, "C'mon!"

Flash steps sounded and Ichigo made a sound of mingled relief and urgency.

"He's hurt really bad," the shinigami substitute said, "but he's...Byakuya?"

He tried to answer, but couldn't utter more than a soft groan.

"I guess he lost consciouness again. He's been going in and out for a while."

Something sliced through the tattered remains of his clothes, baring his back. He felt an invasion of icy coldness, then the first touches of healing.

"Is he going to be all right?" Ichigo asked worriedly.

_He sounds frightened now. But he was so calm before..._

"He's pretty damned wrecked," Tenjiro admitted, "but I can heal him."

Warm water swirled around the injured captain's body, stabilizing his body and sending his mind into a calm abyss.

"I was scared he was already gone when I found him," Ichigo confessed, "but then his eyes moved. I wasn't sure he'd live until help got here. Thanks for coming so quickly."

"No problem," said the guardsman, curling his healing water more firmly around the unconscious Kuchiki heir.

Ichigo looked around, scanning the devastated remains of what had been the royal palace.

"So, what happens now?" he asked softly.

Kirinji glanced up at him.

"Don't worry about this. We'll clean up the mess. Your part here is done. You get to go home now and live in peace...at least until the next threat."

"Right," Ichigo sighed wearily, looking down at Byakuya's water-enshrouded form, "Until next time..."

XXXXXXXXXX

The sound of falling rain returned to Byakuya's awareness. He was still immobilized and unable to even open his eyes, but he realized almost instantly that his surroundings had changed. Scents of cleaning solution and flowers and the eased reiatsu around him told him that he was back in the Seireitei.

_It is still raining, but then, there is a lot to wash away._

_It is encouraging to be home again. But I hope I will be able to return to the manor soon. This place is cold. There are too many bad memories here._

For along time after, there was only peace and quiet and the sound of falling rain. He listened for footsteps, but none sounded nearby.

_I wonder if Rukia is all right. Ichigo said she and Renji were okay, but it's strange they wouldn't be here. And I wonder where Tetsuya is...busy at home managing the return of everyone from the shelter, I imagine. It's fine._

His awareness left him again and when he woke again, someone was holding his hand.

"Ichigo?" he whispered dazedly.

"It's me, Cousin," Tetsuya's voice informed him, "I'm sorry it took so long for me to come to you. We had to set up temporary housing so that the family could return. It was hard with all of the rain. But they are settling in now. I would have you transferred home, but there is still too much damage to the manor. The main wing should be in good enough shape to permit us to move you there in a few days."

"R-rukia? Renji?"

He could feel Tetsuya's smile without seeing it. But slowly as their conversation continued, his vision cleared.

"They are injured, but doing well. Both are conscious, but the healers cannot allow them up and about just yet. Ichigo is doing fine as well. He has gone to Shiba Manor to stay."

"I suspected it would be necessary, considering the increase in his powers. I just hope that he isn't too regretful."

"His father is remaining in the living world until the girls are grown up. Then, he should be coming here as well. Ichigo seems to be all right with it. And the captain commander has given permission for his family and friends to visit at will."

"That is good."

Tetsuya sighed.

"I wish I could stay longer, but there is still a lot to do. But Arashi is on guard outside the healing center, and I will have you transferred home as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Tetsuya."

"It is no trouble."

The door opened, admitting Hanataro. Tetsuya released Byakuya's hand and stood, offering the healer a brief greeting before he left the room. Hanataro leaned over the Kuchiki heir and examined him carefully.

"You look much improved, Captain Kuchiki," he said approvingly, "How do you feel?"

"Well enough to be transferred to my home. My own healers can take over my care so that you can focus on other..."

"Oh no you don't," the young healer chuckled, "Vice Captain Kotetsu is not discharging you until you are fully stabilized. It will be another day or two. You were very seriously injured, Captain."

"That hadn't escaped me."

"Please try to be patient, sir. Everyone was really worried about you and you still need a lot of rest. I can have some food brought if you think you can manage it. It would be good to get you eating. It will help you heal faster."

"Very well," Byakuya said in a bored tone, "Whatever it takes to get me out of here and back home."

"Are you in any pain, sir?"

"Some."

"Would you like a pain block? You are due for one."

"Fine."

"It will make you a little sleepy. Would you like to try to eat first?"

"Very well," the Kuchiki heir said, "Are you going to allow me to sit up?"

"Of course," Hanataro said, smiling and releasing the immobilization field, "The worst of the swelling has gone down, so you can sit up. Just don't try to get out of bed, yet, okay?"

"I do not think that will be a problem," the noble assured him.

He watched as the healer left, then turned his attention to the rain outside the window.

_The last of Ywach's evilness is washing away. That is good. We owe that to you, Ichigo. Our faith in you was well placed. I only feel sad that you had to sacrifice your human life to increase your power enough to accomplish that. But at least you won't lose your friends. No one should endure so much loneliness._

_Especially not you._

"Here is your breakfast, Captain," said an orderly, setting a tray in the noble's lap.

Byakuya took the first bite and marveled how such simple fare, not prepared by his home staff could taste so good.

_Though it is just that I haven't eaten for so long. But I am grateful to be here, alive, eating anything at all and preparing to go home._

He noticed suddenly a small round vase on the tray with a smiling, ginger colored bear sitting beside it. An envelope had been placed between the bear's front paws and Byakuya recognized the writing immediately.

"Ichigo?" he whispered.

He extricated the envelope from the bear's arms and opened it, revealing a card that had a picture of a lovely full moon against a starry night sky.

"_I thought you'd appreciate this, since you can't go out and look at the moon, and since the clouds are still blocking out the stars anyway. I'm glad you're going to be okay. Thanks again for what you did. I won't forget it. Your friend, Ichigo._

He set the card aside and continued to eat, stealing glances at the bear that had fur the color of the Shiba heir's hair and wondering at how warm he felt inside.

_I only wish I could see him. But he is busy getting acclimatized. And after he is, he will be even busier, and have little reason to come to Kuchiki Manor, as he no longer needs a place to stay here._

The thought left him feeling slightly chilled inside, and the only panacea seemed to come from setting his food aside and slipping the little bear into the sleeve of his yukata. He fell into a lighter, dreamier sleep with his small, smiling ginger haired companion pressed against his side.


	2. Promise to Dance

**Chapter 2: Promise to Dance**

Byakuya's mind wavered on the borders of awareness, slivers of hushed conversations leaking into his shuttered world and working at his patience as he tried more and more aggressively to bring himself into full wakefulness. But however hard he tried, the gentle buzzing around him that seemed to obscure everything and the mental haze that tried to steal his will to surface worked against him at every turn and left him even more frustrated.

_What happened?_

_Something must have happened as I slept. I could wake before and now I cannot. I could move before and now something seems to hold me in place._

_My injuries must have been worse than first thought._

Sensing that high emotion was likely less helpful that calm acceptance, he focused on the one thing he could do, a slow, steady inhale and exhale. He did not resist sleeping, but found that his mind remained oddly lucid through everything. Gradually, the buzzing in his head decreased and he was able to pick up phrases and eventually bits of conversation.

_The gist of it seems to be that something went very wrong. They don't want me to move, so I must not struggle. I do wonder if they are keeping me sedated. Is that why I cannot wake fully?_

Whatever the case, he slowly continued to regain his faculties, and along with that, flares of stronger pain leaked through. He heard himself yield a discomfited groan and could suddenly feel that he was sweating. Cool liquid flowed into his veins and the pain faded away for a time. Other voices seeped in, Rukia's, Renji's, and Tetsuya's, all very welcome, although it was a bother to know how worried his current situation was making them. He could hear the tension in their voices, even not comprehending all of their words. And that worry seemed to grow as he made his slow ascent back into consciousness, and for the first time since falling into that long darkness, could see through his eyes again.

He was alone and it registered in his mind that it must be late at night. The room had been darkened to make it easier for him to sleep, but the curtains had been left open so that he could look out at the night sky. He laid mostly on his stomach, but slightly propped and carefully immobilized from chest level down. There was something vaguely unnerving about the careful positioning, but attempts to move slightly to verify his growing suspicion only reminded him that the immobilization field held him captive. He would not be able, then, to move until his body was freed. So, he contented himself with looking out the window and losing himself in the calm moon and stars, then giving himself over again to sleep.

It was Isane Kotetsu's kind voice that stirred him again. And just after, the touch of her hands informed him that she was examining him carefully.

"Vice Captain," he said quietly, "will you tell me what happened? How long was I unconscious?"

"We were required to keep you sedated for the purposes of pain relief and to assure that you would not move. We have to wake you fully to prepare you for surgery, so I will caution you to not try to move anything but your head and arms, sir."

"Why is the surgery necessary? I assume the wound to my back is worse than expected."

"It is," answered the deeper, male voice of Hachigen Ushoda, "When full images were taken after your transfer here, we found that a shard of highly dense reiatsu, likely from the debris that struck you in the explosion in the palace, lodged within your body. At first, it was not evident, because of the heavy swelling that inhibited proper imaging, as well as interference from the shard, itself. We did try to have Inoue Orihime reject it, but because of the density of the reiatsu, she was not able to affect it."

"I see," Byakuya said quietly, "So, the surgery is to remove it?"

"If that is possible, yes," Hachi replied, "But you must understand, the shard is lodged between your spinal cord, with a slight penetration there, and your spirit core. And I am sure you are aware that if your spirit core is pierced by something of such powerful reiatsu that you would not survive."

"I am aware," Byakuya said calmly.

"I must also tell you that if the penetration goes any deeper into your spinal column, you could be permanently paralyzed. That is why you have been carefully positioned and immobilized for the duration. I have already placed clamps to hold the shard in place, and as soon as we have your permission to proceed, I will begin the surgery."

"And what are the chances that you can remove the shard successfully?" the noble asked.

It is a difficult task, as I have to work around both your spirit core and your spinal column, but provided that the shard does not slip during the procedure, you should recover fully."

"But I see from the look on your face, the risk of the shard slipping is significant."

"Yes," the vizard replied, his frown deepening, "Because of the positioning, it will be difficult to keep the shard stable during the removal. As I said, I believe this can be done successfully. You just need to understand the risks."

"Of course," Byakuya agreed softly.

"I suppose I must tread upon more delicate ground and inquire if you have plans in place for if you are incapacitated and cannot speak for yourself?"

"Yes. My cousin, Tetsuya, is fully authorized to act on my behalf in that case."

"Your sister, several of your cousins and a number of the elders are here. Is there anyone you would like to see or speak to before we begin?"

Byakuya thought for a moment and opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted as the door opened and Ichigo stepped into the room.

"Oh, sorry, looks like you're busy. I'll just..."

"Will you stay for a moment?" Byakuya asked, glancing up at the vizard and receiving a nod of acceptance.

"I will return when you are ready."

Byakuya watched as Hachi left, then met Ichigo's eyes silently.

"I really didn't mean to interrupt," the Shiba heir said, smiling at him, "I've been buried in paperwork, meetings and lessons about everything, so I haven't been able to get over here until now."

"And why have you come?" Byakuya inquired.

"Well, for one, because you're my friend and you've been in the hospital for a while. I was coming to see how your healing was going, and I wanted to ask you something."

_He doesn't know?_

"What is it?"

A slight blush rose onto the younger man's face and throat.

"Well, you see, there's this benefit that several of the clans are holding, including both of ours. They want to help build a shelter for kids orphaned during the war. So there will be an auction, and there's going to be traditional dancing."

"And?"

"Well, I know you're still healing, but you'll be out of here soon, right? So, when you are, I was wondering if you could...you know, teach me how to do that kind of dancing. Ballroom dancing. My friends and I go club dancing in the living world, but I've never been taught this kind of dancing. I saw you dancing at the winter ball you invited me to after Aizen was captured. You're a really good dancer. Would you show me how to do that kind of dancing, once you are well again?"

Byakuya paused, considering his words carefully.

"I am honored that you respect my abilities in that area, Ichigo, however, it seems that my recovery will extend well beyond the occurrence of that gathering."

"What? Really? Byakuya..."

Byakuya's dark eyes looked into his with continued calm.

"After the swelling in my body went down, the healers discovered a shard made of high density reiatsu lodged in a precarious position within my body. They tried to have Inoue Orihime reject it, but she was not able to do so. The only option is to stabilize the fragment and carefully remove it. However, if it slips too far in one direction, it will cause paralysis, and if it slips too far in another, it will pierce my spirit core, which will cause death."

Ichigo's eyes rounded.

"Byakuya, I didn't know it was that bad!" he exclaimed, "Why didn't anyone tell me?"

"You have been named heir to the Shiba clan," Byakuya reminded him, "You told me, yourself, that it has kept you busy."

"But someone should have told me! Rukia. Renji."

"Rukia and Renji are still here, recovering, and Tetsuya has been seeing to all of his normal duties and temporarily acting in my stead. Also, I was only just informed of the situation and the need for surgery. And before that begins, I want to ask a favor of you."

"You want me to do something for you?"

"Yes. It is something that is already in your nature, so it will not be difficult for you, I think."

Ichigo looked back at him warily and nodded in agreement.

"Okay, what do you want me to do?"

Byakuya paused again and took a steadying breath.

"This procedure carries a significant amount of risk, as I've already told you. And although I believe that things will go well, I am not the kind to leave things undone."

"No," Ichigo agreed, smiling at him, "You're pretty careful about the details."

"Yes, and I consider it important that, no matter what happens to me, my interests are protected. What I am asking you, then, is that if the procedure fails and I am incapacitated or I pass from life..."

"You're not going to..."

"Ichigo, hear me out. I told you. I believe the procedure will go well. But I do not know. Always, there are risks. Just promise me that you will protect Rukia, Renji and Tetsuya if I should no longer be able to do so. Give me that peace before this begins."

Ichigo reflected on his words in silence for several minutes. While he was still considering, the door opened and Hachi returned.

"I am sorry to interrupt, but the surgery room is ready. As soon as you have spoken with everyone you wish to, I will sedate you for the procedure."

"I do not wish to speak to anyone else," Byakuya answered, earning looks of surprise from both Ichigo and the vizard.

"Are you sure?" Hachi asked, "I mentioned to you..."

"I understand the risks. It is just that I don't want to upset them. Assuming the procedure goes well, speaking with them now will only upset them, and if the procedure fails, I do not want them to remember me as an invalid, but the way I was."

"Are you...really sure about that?" Ichigo asked, "I saw the three of them as I came in, and they looked really worried. Don't you want to reassure them?"

"I will entrust that to you, if you are willing. It is better that way. I would like you to stay with them and take care of them. They are likely to neglect themselves in their concern over me."

Ichigo gave him a sad smile.

"Okay. If it will make you feel better, I'll do it...on one condition."

Byakuya tilted his head questioningly.

"And what is that?"

"Well, I know your recovery is going to take a long time, but you _are _going to get better. So, I want you to exchange promises with me."

"Exchange...promises?" Byakuya repeated curiously.

"Yeah. I promise to take care of Rukia, Renji and Tetsuya and you promise me that when you are well, you will teach me to dance the traditional way, okay?"

"Ichigo..."

"Hey, it's only fair. I'm doing this for you. You should do something for me."

"But you know that I cannot promise you..."

"Stop it," the Shiba heir said, slipping a hand into his, "Stop thinking like you're not going to be able to do that. I heard what you told me. I know the risks of what you're going through. But I believe that you're going to be okay. You should believe that too."

Ichigo started to withdraw his hand, then stopped as his movement tugged on the sleeve of Byakuya's yukata and the small, ginger haired bear tumbled out and started to fall. Ichigo reached out and caught it nimbly, then smiled widely.

"So, you like this little guy too, ne?"

Byakuya's lips tightened and he colored slightly.

"I don't know how that came to be there. It was on the nightstand and must have fallen onto the bed and become entangled with my yukata at some point."

"R-right," Ichigo chuckled, squeezing the bear.

Byakuya blinked in surprise as the bear emitted a sound somewhere between a rumbling growl and a contented purr.

"What is that?" the Kuchiki heir asked, looking more closely.

"Oh, you didn't know it growls? I thought that was kinda funny."

"I am glad it didn't sound while I was sleeping and startle me awake."

"I think it's sort of soothing," Ichigo said, squeezing the bear and making it sound again as Byakuya looked on with that same curious expression.

He held perfectly still, looking into Ichigo's golden brown eyes as the Shiba heir slipped the bear back into his sleeve.

"Shh," he said, looking around briefly, "I won't tell if you won't!"

"You are ridiculous," Byakuya said dismissively.

"Yeah, sometimes," Ichigo agreed, "But I'm okay with that."

He rose from the Kuchiki heir's bedside and started to turn away, only to be halted by Byakuya's voice.

"Ichigo, may I ask for one more favor?"

Ichigo looked back at him wordlessly.

"Will you stay until the sedation takes effect?"

The younger man gave him a surprised look.

"Me? But wouldn't...?"

"Rukia, Renji and Tetsuya would be too distressed at seeing that. Yet it would be...reassuring to have a trusted person to focus on. I have your promise that you will watch over them. I want to focus on that."

Ichigo looked up at Hachi and received a nod of approval.

"All right. Okay, I'll stay," the Shiba heir agreed, sitting back down.

"Thank you, Ichigo."

"Sure."

Hachi returned to Byakuya's side and checked the Kuchiki heir's vital signs a final time. He leaned over Byakuya and added the sedative to the noble's IV, watching as the infusion began.

Byakuya kept his unwavering focus on Ichigo's face, feeling a twinge inside at the worry that seemed to grow as Byakuya's consciousness began to fade.

"Don't forget your promise," Byakuya managed sleepily, "I am trusting you."

"Have I ever let you down?" Ichigo asked, his face aching as he forced it to keep smiling.

"N-never," Byakuya whispered more brokenly, "I..."

_I hope I wake again. I want to. But if I do not, I think it perfect that this was the last face I saw...and that he was smiling, even though it was hard. He truly is...beautiful._

_Ichigo..._

"Is he out?" Ichigo asked, swallowing hard and staring down at Byakuya's relaxed sleeping face.

"Yes. He is sleeping. It was...very kind of you to stay, Ichigo. You made him much calmer."

"Eh, Byakuya's always calm. He does that on his own."

"Actually, his heart rate and blood pressure were escalating significantly until you arrived. You did calm him."

"Hachi, is he going to be okay? Honestly, do you think he'll come through this?"

"There is no way to know what will happen for certain. But I promise you, I will use every power I have to give him the best possible outcome. The rest will be him fighting his way back. And with a friend like you at his side, I would say that his chances are very good for a full recovery...eventually. Just, be patient, young master. Rome wasn't built in a day, as they say, and Lord Kuchiki's recovery won't happen overnight."

"Just so long as it happens," Ichigo sighed, slipping his fingers into the sleeve of the sleeping Kuchiki leader's yukata and lightly caressing the bear's ginger fur.


	3. What No One Knows But You

**Chapter 3: What No One Knows But You**

**(Thanks to Picklez80 (Here you go!), Tomyallen (There are so many examples of Byakuya's growing appreciation, even affection for Ichigo, although he doesn't admit it to Ichigo, himself. There's a lot to work with in stories, which makes it fun to write them together.) Willow (Thanks a million! And here you are.), Irritated Bookworm (Glad you like it so far!), Winterheart2000 (You are a sweetie! Anything for you.), Periwinkle (Expect a lot of sweet moments like that!), Arelia22 (Thank you so very much :) You are the best!), dragonprincess01 (The wait is over, and I will keep the updates moving. I am really enjoying watching this one unfold.), Charmander77 (Thanks a bunch! I couldn't do this without all of the wonderful reader support. I love you guys!), Emmagem803 (Aww, thanks, and yes, The Daemon Queen's next chapter is in the works!), Blood87 (Here you go!), Parnita(There will be a lot of great, fluffy moments, interspersed with some tender angst.), Caitriona695 (Oh yes, very like Byakuya to try to cover up his reactions!), Dianne060807 (I am so glad you like the story! And more is on the way.), ctofi1 (I am so glad you like it!), Anonymous Guest (Well thanks so much, and I will just have to get you some updates of The Hole and if you let me know your fave Ren/Bya's, I can work on that too!), NamineLily (I myself am never completely sure where a story will go. That makes it a real adventure as it unfolds in my head.), and RedSnow4 (You are so very welcome! I am glad you are enjoying the story and I will have more updates soon! I am working this week, so I'm only managing one chapter a day...okay, to some people that's a lot but to Spunky, that's not nearly enough! Just a few more days, then the weekend will come and I'll get a lot done!), Happy reading! Love, Spunky)**

"He is fully sedated and we are ready to begin, sir."

"Thank you. Hold the clamps in place carefully. Do not let them slip. I will make the first incision."

Far away from the room where his body laid, carefully immobilized and heavily sedated, Byakuya Kuchiki, Kuchiki clan leader and sixth division captain, looked into the light of the full moon above him and recalled.

_The first thought I had when I saw him that day...was that it made me remember something painful._

_"Ichigo Kurosaki."_

_I only knew his name from the reports we were given. I had only glimpses that our second division video recordings had captured. To see him standing in front of me brought back something I hadn't thought about in a long time._

_I once suffered from strong, wild, and uncontrolled emotions too._

_It was over a hundred years ago. I was emerging into my powers and the Kuchiki elders foresaw that I would be one of the most powerful sons of our clan. They knew that there was much work to be done, so they began impressing upon my grandfather and my father how important it was to control my greater spirits quickly._

_For all that he was not one of the most powerful in our history, my father loved me. And he shielded me from their efforts as well as he could. But when he was away, there were meetings and then 'lessons.' I wanted to be great in power and ready to lead. I knew that it would make my father proud. So, I listened when they told me._

_"You must control your emotions or they will control you!"_

"The first incision has been made," Hachi said calmly, "Be very careful now not to let the clamps slip, even slightly."

_Why did I listen to them?_

_Was it so wrong for me to attend to the beat of my own heart? A shinigami's most important task is to protect souls as they pass over into Soul Society. If we do not love passionately, then why would we want to protect anything? Or anyone?_

_An image flashed in his mind of an angry ginger-haired human boy, holding a huge sword. He heard two swift flash steps and saw the boy gasp and begin to fall._

_"You are slow," he heard his cold, emotionless voice say, "even when you are falling."_

_Lightning flashed and thunder sounded, and Byakuya's mind was carried back over a hundred years to an icy winter night, just after his birthday._

_"I am sorry, Byakuya," his grandfather's sorrowful voice intoned, "We were attacked as we returned to the shinigami base. Soujun...your father...my son, was killed."_

_"No!"_

_He flash stepped away, ignoring his grandfather's call for him to return and fleeing recklessly into the forest, as if each step that carried him farther away from his home could carry him farther from the truth._

_Byakuya's mind spun wildly, back and forth between the sharp, stinging memories of his own past and the wrenching scene of his sword cutting apart another heart that beat as passionately as his had used to._

_What happened to me before?_

_When did I become so cold inside?_

_Why didn't I understand that when I struck at Ichigo that first time I saw him, I wasn't just cutting him, I was cutting away that unwanted part of myself._

_At least, I told myself I didn't want to be passionate._

_We should not be so emotional._

_We should not shed tears. That is the surrender of the body to the heart and it is only a sign that we are creatures that cannot control our hearts._

_My heart is beating out of my control!_

"Sir, heart rate and blood pressure are rising," a healer's voice said, breaking into Byakuya's thoughts and scattering them.

"Increase the sedation," Hachi ordered, "Make sure he does not move. I have to split the shard to remove it."

"We're ready, sir. We have the shard clamped on both ends."

Byakuya felt the small surge of cool fluid in his veins and the voices melted away again, leaving him suspended in darkness and silence. But even then, he felt the soft, fast throbs of his heart and knew that he still lived.

Only when that heartbeat skipped strangely and began to skitter ominously did it occur to him that his situation was deteriorating.

_Why?_

_What is happening?_

He encountered a very brief flicker of awareness then, and the last sensation that reached him was of something soft touching the skin of one pale arm.

XXXXXXXXXX

"Please tell me how my brother is doing, Hanataro," Rukia pleaded, tears forming in the corners of her violet eyes, "We have been waiting for hours. Can't someone just reassure us that he is doing all right in the surgery?"

"I know it is really hard to wait," the young healer acknowledged, "but Captain Hachi is the very best surgeon we have. I am sure that if anyone can successfully treat Captain Kuchiki's condition, he can. The procedure is painstaking because of the position of the reaitsu shard they are removing, but I expect we will receive word of their progress very soon."

"I hope so," a pale-faced Tetsuya sighed, coaxing Rukia's head onto his shoulder as Renji scowled at the news and embraced him from the other side, "The waiting us nearly unbearable."

"I'm with you," Renji agreed, "This really sucks. Makes me very glad I was unconscious when he was so badly injured by that guy, As Nodt."

"Well, I think Hanataro's right and we'll hear something soon," Ichigo said reassuringly, "I've known Hachi for a while and his powers are really impressive, especially when it comes to healing. He's taught Orihime a few things that have really made a difference. And you guys know how strong Byakuya is. He'll be okay."

The three looked less than convinced by his words, but they nodded briefly in response and remained close together.

"Ichigo," Rukia said after a few moments of reflection, "what did my brother say to you while you were with him?"

"Ah, we were mostly listening while Hachi was explaining about the surgery, then Byakuya asked me to look out for you guys."

"That sounds very much like my cousin," Tetsuya reflected.

"Yeah," Rukia agreed sadly, nuzzling closer to the blue eyed noble, "He always seems less worried about himself than everyone else. I just feel bad that there never seems to be anything that I can do for him."

"Don't be silly," Ichigo chided her, a small smile invading his handsome features, "Have you forgotten when you faced down the quincy that almost killed him before. From what I hear, Byakuya stood back and let you fight him."

"But don't forget that As Nodt used images of me to torture my brother in their battle," Rukia reminded him miserably.

"Hey, then it was just the healing he needed to see you stand up to that bastard and take him apart with your bankai," Ichigo said more sternly, "He told me he'd never felt such pride as that before...not ever. And him asking me to stay with you is just another sign of how important all of you are to him."

"I guess what gets to me is just how damned useless to him I feel right now," Renji mused, "As much as I've trained and gotten stronger in my powers, I don't have a power that can make it better."

"No," Ichigo agreed, "none of us do. So, all we can do for Byakuya is to wait and not get overwhelmed. He wouldn't want us to be miserable about this. I know it's really tough to sit here are wait it out, but there's nothing else we can do. And if we can't comfort him right now, we can comfort each other, right?"

"Yeah," Renji sighed, tightening his arm around Tetsuya and reaching over to squeeze Rukia's hand reassuringly.

The three looked up as a pair of healers escorted Orihime down the corridor outside the room they waited in, then a few minutes after, a weary looking Hachi stepped in to join them.

"Please, can you tell me what's happening with my brother?" Rukia asked anxiously, "Was Orihime going to help him?"

"Yes," the vaizard confirmed, "we completed the procedure and I called on Orihime to provide more stabilization during his recovery from the surgery."

"So, how did it go?" Renji asked, trying to hide the extent of his concern, but betraying that worry in his tone, "Did you get that thing out okay?"

"We were able to isolate and remove the shard," Hachi informed them.

"Well, that's good, right?" Renji inquired quickly.

"It is," Hachi agreed, "but Captain Kuchiki still has a lot of recovering, a lot of healing he must do. And I am afraid that even though the surgery was successful, I have concerns that we'll have to address as he recovers."

"What are your concerns, then?" asked Tetsuya, looking up at the bigger man.

"My greatest concern right now is the swelling. The surgery was absolutely critical, but it causes the tissues around the wound sites to swell and that, as was the case before we found the shard in the first place, can hide other problems. Internal bleeding remains a concern as well, but we have that under control right now. As I told you prior to the procedure, there was a slight intrusion into Captain Kuchiki's spinal column and at this time, he is not responding to stimulus below waist level."

"Oh kami..." Rukia breathed, closing her eyes and burrowing into Tetsuya's shoulder.

"Please do not fret, Vice Captain Kuchiki," Hachi said reassuringly, "While this is a concern, it is something that has likely been caused by the surgery and will abate itself as the swelling goes down. There may be pressures within his body that, once relieved, will allow him use of his lower spine and legs. Orihime's task right now is mostly to target the areas of swelling. The remnants of dense reiatsu from the shard's intrusion will make it a long and tiring task for her, but she should be able to hasten the reduction of swelling, allowing him to heal more quickly."

"That sounds encouraging," said Tetsuya, "but what other concerns do you have?"

"The next concern is that there were abrasions, though there was no actual penetration of the spirit core," Hachi went on, "As you know, the core spirit center in our bodies is the crux of where our power is focused. Reiatsu moves through the core spirit center or spirit core and is sent through the other spirit centers, which expand or contract to control the flow of our power. The spirit core also helps to regulate natural functions like breathing and heartbeat. Intrusion into this core center can disrupt both powers as well as cause problems with the natural functions. Abrasions and bruising in this area can weaken those functions, but usually to a lesser degree. During the procedure, Captain Kuchiki's heart did evidence some arrhythmia, and we also had to use a ventilator to support his breathing."

"Oh no!" Rukia gasped, "But...?"

"His heart has returned to a normal rhythm now and he is breathing without aid. There has been definite improvement there."

Hachi paused, considering his words carefully.

"The last concern I have should be resolved soon. Captain Kuchiki was placed under sedation for the procedure and we have since discontinued the sedation, now that the procedure is finished. Normally, the patient will wake within the next twenty-four hours after surgery. I anticipate that this will be the case with Captain Kuchiki, but of course, we will be watching him carefully in case there are any complications that interfere with this."

"What kind of complications?" Ichigo asked, frowning.

"Well, there is always a small but necessary risk from the sedation," Hachi explained, "So, we really want to see him wake within that twenty-four hours. And although his breathing and heart rate have normalized, we are watching those closely to be sure they remain stable. Also, the swelling, until it goes down, can continue to interfere with movement. I know that seems like a lot to worry about, but considering the damage Captain Kuchiki took in the battle, it is actually one of the more encouraging scenarios. I know it seems torturous, having to wait so long to learn the long term outcome, but Captain Kuchiki has certainly passed the most critical hurdle of surviving the surgery, itself. Now, Orihime should be done with the first stabilization in a few minutes, then I can allow you to visit Captain Kuchiki in groups of two. As I have said, he is not conscious, but he may be able to sense presences within the room as well as picking up on things that affect his senses. I encourage you to speak quietly to him to let him know you are with him. That may help to bring him back to full consciousness. You may hold his hand if you wish, but he is in special positioning restraints and under an immobilization field to protect his back until the swelling has been sufficiently reduced. I know this is a lot to take in. Just be reassured that Captain Kuchiki is doing well for what he has suffered in the way of injury and I am confident he will eventually make a full recovery. Now, I must return to oversee his care, but as I said, you may visit in twos as soon as Orihime has finished the first stabilization."

"Thanks Hachi," Ichigo said sincerely, shaking the healer's hand, "We're grateful to you for taking care of him."

"You are welcome," Hachi said, bowing briefly in parting, then exiting the room.

"Would you like to see him first, Miss Rukia?" Tetsuya asked, "You and Ichigo can visit first, if you like and Renji and I can visit him after."

I...I just need a few minutes," Rukia said, sniffing and wiping her eyes, "Why don't you and Renji go ahead?"

"Are you sure?" Renji asked, "We can..."

"No, go ahead," Rukia urged him, "I don't want him to...I mean, I guess he won't know, but I want to, you know, be more...focused when I see him."

"All right, Miss Rukia," Tetsuya answered, offering her a hug.

Renji slipped his arm around the blue eyed noble and kissed him on the cheek.

"Come on," he said quietly, "Orihime should be done by now."

Ichigo watched the two depart, then turned to his friend.

"How are you doing?" he asked calmly.

"Me?" Rukia asked in a trembling voice, "I guess I'm okay. I just...I don't want to see him while I'm like this."

"I think you're holding up pretty well, considering," Ichigo asserted, "Don't be so hard on yourself. Byakuya wouldn't want you to do that. He's going to be okay now, Rukia."

"I know that's what the captain said, but Byakuya is unconscious. Even when I see him, he's not going to be able to speak to me. And I know he hates feeling weak. To see him like that...unconscious and all tied up."

"The restraints are just to keep him from putting strain on the healing areas. It's okay, Rukia. I know it's upsetting to see him like that, but you have to focus on the fact that he might be able to sense that you're there, or hear you. And that's going to be encouraging to him. I think it's the best thing for him to know you're there. Byakuya cares a lot about you. You know that."

"Yeah, I do," Rukia agreed, sighing and leaning against the Shiba heir for a moment, "But Ichigo, I really hate this. I just want him to be all right."

"He will be all right," Ichigo assured her.

"How do you know that?" Rukia asked, an edge of sarcasm in her voice.

"I know that because I know Byakuya. He's really determined to stay with you. Byakuya loves you."

"I know that, Ichigo. But he also made a decision when he was out there fighting. He decided that to protect everyone, the best thing he could do was to forget his own safety and put himself between us and danger. You know as well as I do that he didn't expect to survive."

"Maybe. But I was there after and once he knew he was still alive and breathing, Byakuya was determined to, not just live, but to fully recover. He's going to do that, Rukia, and we have to do everything we can to help him."

"I know that, stupid," the young woman said, sighing and leaning against him, "I'm just scared for him."

"That's okay. I think we all are," Ichigo replied, embracing her warmly and holding her tightly until Renji and Tetsuya returned to the waiting room.

"How is Byakuya?" Rukia asked anxiously, pulling away from Ichigo and staring in dismay at Tetsuya's paleness and look of deep worry.

"He's hanging in there okay," Renji reported, sparing his overwhelmed friend from having to answer, "It was just hard to see him like he is. Tetsuya's in a little bit of shock. I'm going to take him back home and make him some hot tea. Ichigo, would you mind seeing Rukia home."

"I'm not a wimp!" Rukia objected hotly, "I can find my way home on my own."

"Hey, take it easy," Ichigo chuckled, "Renji was just looking out for you. I think Byakuya'd really appreciate that."

"Yeah, you're probably right," Rukia sighed, "Sorry, Renji."

"Forget it," said the redhead, brushing off the incident, "I'll see you guys later at Kuchiki Manor."

Ichigo slipped an arm around Rukia and led her out of the room. They walked slowly down the hallway, their steps slowing even more as they reached the room where the Kuchiki heir laid. They stopped for a moment outside the door, steeling themselves.

"It's okay," Ichigo said, giving Rukia a hug, "Whatever he looks like, he's recovering. Just think of that."

Rukia couldn't speak, but she nodded and hesitantly entered the room. Ichigo followed her into the room and watching in silence as she sat down in the chair beside the bed, holding her breath and gazing at her brother's very pale sleeping face. A soft, muted sob escaped her and she sniffed a few times before resting her head on Byakuya's shoulder and closing her eyes in misery.

Ichigo moved closer, studying the Kuchiki heir's lovely, frowning face as he approached. He reached out, intending to lay a hand on Rukia's shoulder, but froze just short, unable to utter a sound as Byakuya's wide grey eyes opened and stared blankly ahead.

_Is he...?_

But the clan leader's eyes showed no sign of cognizance. Ichigo felt drawn forward, still fixed on Byakuya's dark eyes. And before he quite knew what was happening, he seemed to be yanked all of the way into them and he began to fall.

He let out a yelp of surprise and flash stepped wildly, coming down in an orchard of sakura and plum trees. He heard a soft sniff and blinked in surprise at the sound. Looking down, he found a little raven haired boy, kneeling in front of him and crying silently.

"What the...?"

His voice startled the boy, who turned suddenly and came to his feet, then backed away warily. Ichigo remained frozen for a moment, his eyes looking into the boy's and his expression mystified.

"Wh-who are you?" the boy asked haltingly, "How did you get here?"

"Uh...I'm Ichigo," Ichigo answered uncertainly, "Ichigo Kurosaki. I don't exactly know how I ended up here, but...are you okay?"

"I'm f-fine," the boy said, stiffening in a way that shocked the Shiba heir as he realized who he must be looking at.

_No way!_

"Byakuya?"

The boy's eyes widened.

"You know me?" he asked, frowning.

"W-well, yeah. Anyway, do you want to tell me what's wrong? Why were you crying?"

"I wasn't!" the boy insisted, "I was just..."

He paused for a moment, turning away and looking into the trees.

"I was just...th-they said that...they said it was because of me."

"Huh?" Ichigo mused, "What was because of you?"

"S-sorry, my mom just died," Byakuya explained in a calmer voice, "I don't know if you knew her, but...they said that she hasn't been the same since I was born. I heard them say that. I never heard them say that before. I didn't know. But, it's my fault."

Ichigo let out a little breath and his eyes softened.

"Byakuya," he said, moving closer, "That may be what they said, but that's not how they meant it. I'm sure they weren't saying it was your fault."

"What do you mean?" Byakuya asked, turning back to look up at him, his face clouding and his eyes filling with tears again, "They said it was when I was born that she weakened. I didn't mean to, I swear! I didn't mean to hurt her! I didn't mean to make her die!"


	4. Petals on the Breeze

**Chapter 4: Petals on the Breeze**

**(Whew! I finally have a day off to recover. And the rain is falling again, making it perfect for some romance. Thanks to anonymous guest (Thank you so much and I hope you enjoyed the new chapter of Learning to Love Without Sake 2: Impregnating Byakuya. I will have more of that...and this one, soon!), Tomyallen (Byakuya has come a long way in the manga, from nearly killing Ichigo, to grudging respect and finally to friendship and complete trust. This story is about an opening of the soul, something that puts Byakuya is a very vulnerable state, but his heart is perfectly protected as it connects with Ichigo's.), NamineLily (I am loving this pairing too! I have to go and update some of the others now!), Blood87 (And...here you go! :) Thanks so much for reading!), Parnita (You are most welcome! I hope you enjoy this installment too!), Caitriona695 (Ichigo will start to understand he is there for a reason...or more than one!), d1mplz3 (Aww, thank you so much!), and Picklez80 (You've got it!). Thanks everyone! Love you all, Spunky)**

Ichigo dropped onto his knees in the fallen petals and slipped an arm around the little boy, his expression sympathetic as Byakuya struggled to bring his burgeoning misery under control.

"Come here," the Shiba heir said kindly, coaxing the boy into a comforting embrace, "And don't blame yourself, okay? No one believes you hurt your mom. It's obvious you love her a lot."

"B-but, what they said...they said..."

"Byakuya, the truth is that if your mom got weaker after having you, it just means that she was already sick and she just got more sick. It would have happened anyway. It wasn't your fault. Trust me."

"Why should I trust you?" Byakuya asked, looking up at his through wide, teary eyes, "I don't even really know you."

"Well, I know you. And I know that you love both of your parents and you would do anything to honor them. Sometimes things like this just happen. It's not anyone's fault. I lost my mom when I was little too."

Byakuya blinked and stared at him in surprise.

"You did?"

"Yeah. My mom was really pretty and she smiled a lot. My dad and I, and my little sisters all loved her. And she wasn't just pretty, she was really brave. She was so brave that when a hollow attacked me, she died protecting me."

He heard the boy's breath catch and Byakuya's small hands held him more tightly.

"I blamed myself for a long time," Ichigo went on, "but after a while, I realized that it wasn't my fault that hollow showed up and attacked me. It just...happened, and my mom thought it was more important to protect me than it was to run away. That's when I decided that I wanted to be strong and brave like her. I was still small and I got scared sometimes, but even though my mom was gone, I still had my dad and sisters. You still have your dad, right?"

"Uh-huh," Byakuya agreed, rubbing his hand over his face and blinking several times.

"And I'll bet that he would tell you that none of this is your fault."

Byakuya considered his words quietly, breathing slowly as the wind brushed gently against their faces and made the ends of their hair flutter.

"You're right. Papa would surely say that."

"Yeah, he would," Ichigo affirmed, smiling warmly and patting the boy on the cheek, "By the way, does your dad or somebody know where you are? You're kinda far from home for a little kid, aren't you?"

Byakuya sighed and frowned.

"I can take care of myself," he said, looking away.

"There are hollows out here. Do you even have a zanpakuto yet?"

He felt mingled flares of amusement and affection at the lad's response.

"I don't need a zanpakuto to protect myself. My kido and flash step are enough protection."

"Your kido's that strong already, ne?" Ichigo chuckled, mussing the boy's hair and earning a scowl in reply, "You know, that doesn't surprise me."

"What are you doing?" Byakuya demanded, "_Nobody_ does that to me!"

"Okay, okay," Ichigo laughed, raising his hands defensively as pink reiatsu blossomed around the boy and flickered dangerously, "I get that you're strong already. And you know what, Byakuya? You're going to get a whole lot stronger."

Byakuya's dark eyes blinked and looked back at him curiously.

"You're going to become so strong that all of the shinigamis and the people of the Rukongai will know your name and fear the power in your sword," Ichigo went on, his expression growing serious and his eyes going distant and almost sad, "You will be one of the great defenders of the Seireitei, of the noble houses, even the soul king, himself."

He realized then how the boy's eyes had widened and that the swirl of power around him had faded.

"Ichigo, who are you really?" Byakuya asked, reaching up to touch his face.

The Shiba heir reclaimed his lost smile instantly.

"I'm your friend, Byakuya," he answered.

Byakuya started to respond, but his words were blocked out as blackness swirled suddenly around Ichigo and he was violently pulled away.

"Yiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii!" he howled as his body seemed to tumble wildly out of control, until he crashed down into his body and collapsed onto his knees at Byakuya's bedside.

"Ichigo!" Rukia cried, dropping onto her knees beside him, "Ichigo, are you all right? What happened?"

Wordlessly, the Shiba heir rose and moved closer to the unconscious Kuchiki heir.

"Ichigo," Rukia whispered again as the ginger haired youth gazed down into Byakuya's vacant eyes and lost expression.

"I don't actually know what happened," Ichigo confessed, "It was really weird. I was...looking into his eyes and all of a sudden...I was with him."

"You were..._with him_?" Rukia repeated, frowning.

"But he wasn't like this at all," Ichigo continued, smiling slightly as he remembered, "He was just a little kid...a really cute little kid. He didn't act so much like Byakuya. I mean, he was pretty temperamental, but I saw little things that were just like him too."

"That's pretty strange, Ichigo. Are you sure you're feeling all right? We've all been under a lot of stress since the quincies attacked."

"What? I'm not having delusions!" the Shiba heir objected hotly, "I know what I saw!"

"Calm down and don't yell," Rukia chided him, frowning in a way that reminded him instantly of the young woman's older brother, "I don't think you're delusional. I just think that you're under stress and that can cause weird things to happen. But let's not argue about it here. Even though he's unconscious, remember, Captain Hachi said he might be able to hear us."

She rose and returned to her brother's side, dropping into a chair and slipping a hand into his.

"And if you can hear me, Brother, I want to tell you that I love you. I want you to come back to us. We all fought hard to protect our home and the fighting is over now. It's time for us to rest, to heal and to be grateful that we still have our Seireitei and each other. Please wake up, Byakuya. I need you to wake up."

But Byakuya only remained almost perfectly still, his eyes empty and staring at the ceiling and his chest rising and falling slowly. Ichigo laid a hand on Rukia's shoulder as the violet eyed woman gave in to a fresh bout of tears and rested her face on Byakuya's slender, pale hand.

"Don't worry," Ichigo assured her, "Byakuya isn't going to leave us. It's like I said before, once he knew that he had survived the blast at the palace, he made up his mind to stay with us. That he's still breathing and his heart is still beating means that Byakuya's still fighting. It's fine to cry because you're scared or because you're sad he got hurt, but don't cry because you think he's going to die. He won't, Rukia."

"What makes you so sure?" Rukia sobbed, "You don't know what will happen. No one does."

"I know Byakuya," Ichigo said firmly, "He won't give up."

Ichigo sat down in the chair beside Rukia's and placed an arm around her bracingly.

"Come on, now. Don't do that. You said that he might be able to hear."

"And he might be disappointed that I wasn't stronger," Rukia concluded, sniffing and rubbing her wet eyes.

"No, baka," Ichigo said, mussing her hair as he had the young Byakuya's.

He couldn't hide a grin as his friend's face contorted into the same indignant glare that her brother's had.

_They may not have been born siblings, but there's no doubt they're alike._

"He'd be unhappy that him being like this hurt you," Ichigo finished, squeezing her shoulder gently, "Rukia, you know that if you want to do your best to help Byakuya, then the best thing you can do is to take care of yourself and not beat up on yourself while you wait for him to get better."

"Yes...I know," Rukia said dispiritedly, "And next, you're going to point out how little sleep I've gotten and you'll say I should go home and rest, right? But if I go, he'll be alone. I want to be here if he wakes up soon. Isn't that what anyone would want when someone they love gets hurt?"

"Yeah," Ichigo agreed, "You're right about that. So, I guess if you're going to be stubborn about it, as your friend, there's only one thing I can do."

"Don't even think about knocking me out and taking me home!" the young woman warned him, stiffening.

"I wasn't going to do that," Ichigo chuckled, shaking his head, "I thought about it, but then I thought about how I'd feel if someone did that to me and I came up with a better idea."

"Oh?" Rukia said, looking unconvinced, "And what's that?"

"Well, I was thinking that we could stay here together and take turns sitting with him. One of us can be over here, and one can climb into that bed over there and sleep."

"Would you guys mind a little bit of company?" Renji asked from the doorway.

Ichigo and Rukia's heads turned and they spotted Renji and a pale faced Tetsuya, dressed in their sleeping yukatas and standing in the doorway.

"I thought you were taking Tetsuya home to rest," Rukia chided him.

"Oh, miss _I can't leave his side for a damned second_ wants to be critical," Renji teased her.

"I couldn't make myself fall asleep," added Tetsuya, his blue eyes blinking wearily.

"I guess that all of us kinda feel the same," Ichigo acknowledged.

"What is this? A little family reunion?" asked a feminine voice from the window.

"Yoruichi," Rukia greeted her in a surprised tone as the cat woman joined them in the room.

"I came to see how our little Byakuya was doing. I heard that the quincies gave him a hard time at the palace."

"They sure tried," Ichigo remembered, "but Byakuya wasn't going to let them have their way. I think that explosion he caused must have been heard all of the way in the living world. And I know I couldn't have faced down Ywach and those others all at once. He was really courageous."

"And reckless," Yoruichi added, smiling affectionately.

"And honorable," Rukia sighed sadly.

"Have his healers said anything about his prognosis?" Yoruichi asked, sitting down in a chair.

"Just that it's hard to say what will happen at this point," Rukia explained, "There's a lot of swelling and he hasn't regained consciousness or started using his lower extremities. We just have to wait and give it time."

"I hate waiting," Renji complained.

"Like you need to tell us that," Ichigo teased.

"Shut up, asshole," the redhead snipped, half-heartedly, "You're no better at waiting than I am."

"He does have a point," Tetsuya said, smirking at Renji.

"That's enough, _you_!" the redhead complained, giving his lovely boyfriend a feigned scowl.

"What a friendly group," observed Hachi, surprising the five as he entered the room and moved forward to examine the unconscious clan leader.

"Uh, sorry Captain, Rukia apologized, "I know you said we should visit my brother in pairs, but..."

"But all of you are affected by his injury, ne? All of you are worried about him. I understand well enough," the vizard assured them, "And actually, I think it is beneficial to have some normality around him. It's hard to say exactly what might be the thing that will bring him awake again. And so, as long as you maintain a calm atmosphere, I have no objection to you all staying. Just...do not neglect yourselves. I doubt that would be helpful to him."

"Of course," Rukia agreed readily.

"Now then," said Hachi, turning an eye on Byakuya's violet eyed sister, "Byakuya is doing as well as can be expected, but I sense that you are very much in need of rest, Miss Kuchiki. If you will please lie down in that bed and rest, I am sure that your cousin and Captain Kuchiki's friends will make sure that he is well attended."

"I've been trying to get her to rest," Ichigo agreed.

"All right! All right, I'll rest," Rukia chuckled, standing and making her way to the extra bed, "Just wake me up if he shows any signs of waking up."

"We will," Tetsuya promised, claiming the seat that she had vacated.

Renji stood behind him, placing warm hands on his shoulders.

"You should be the next to use that bed after her," he advised Tetsuya.

"I will," the blue eyed noble promised, "as soon as Miss Rukia has had some rest."

"I'm holding you to that," Renji said, leaning down to kiss his cheek.

The group of friends went quiet then, listening as rain began to fall again outside the window. Ichigo and Yoruichi sat down on a small bench seat a short distance from Byakuya and the Shiba heir leaned wearily against the wall, watching with sleepy eyes as the clan leader continued to rest with his eyes open and unseeing.

"I understand it was a really tough fight in the palace," Yoruichi commented, "Things were bad enough where we were fighting, but the reiatsu echoes from the palace were damaging, even miles away."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, "Byakuya set a barrier around the area, but he warned me that it wouldn't completely shield everyone outside from the power eruptions. Still, it did help."

"It did," Yoruichi agreed.

"Yoruichi, I heard that there have been some attacks, even since we came back."

"There have been," the cat woman confirmed, "You have to realize that even though the war has ended and the quincies were defeated, there are still going to be pockets of resistance, survivors just wanting to get in a few blows before being hunted down. But the important thing to remember is that their king is gone. You eliminated him completely, something that old head captain Yamamoto was unable to do. A lot of people are very grateful to you for that, myself included."

"I just did what I had to do," Ichigo said off-handedly, "He came to Soul Society and he sent his troops out to kill thousands of shinigamis who were only here protecting their home. Whatever happened a thousand years ago, it doesn't give them the right to do that to people who weren't even alive then. I was just protecting my friends."

"Well, now we can get back to just living peaceful lives...although, how are you handling the move here? It must be hard for you to leave Karakura Town and your life there behind."

"It's not easy. I do miss my friends there. But I'm glad that I protected them. And I can see them when they come here to visit me. The new captain commander gave them passes to come here."

"That's good. I'm sure that helps ease things a little."

"Mostly, it's getting used to noble life that's hard. Funny thing is, my family's not that bad compared to some other clans."

He studied Byakuya's handsome profile for a moment.

"Byakuya probably had a pretty hard time growing up in his clan. They're way more anal than the Shiba clan...or yours, for that matter."

"They are," Yoruichi chuckled, "But Byakuya had Ginrei, who understood him pretty well. And when he got too serious, he had me to lighten things up a little."

"I don't know if Byakuya would want to be thanking you for that," Ichigo snickered, "You've told me what kinds of games you played with him."

"He always had a habit of being a little bit too cocky for his own good," Yoruichi remembered with a fond smile, "I just made sure that his ability matched his attitude. I didn't try to change him at all. Byakuya had a fire in his belly to be the strongest leader in the clan's history. Even before Soujun's death, he was committed to that. And after...he was driven by it."

"Well, it seems like he succeeded," Ichigo observed, "He's really damned strong now."

"And that strength is what is going to help him recover," Yoruichi asserted, nodding in the Kuchiki heir's direction.

The two went silent, practically dozing as Byakuya continued his slow recovery. Ichigo's eyes blinked and closed.

He opened them again to find himself in the same forest as the one he had found the child Byakuya in before. He smiled as he heard a sharp battle cry and the loud crack of a kido spell. He turned in the direction of the sound and found a slightly older child-Byakuya training alone in the forest.

The Kuchiki heir flash stepped up from the ground, then caught hold of a tree branch and launched himself forward, drawing his sword as his slender body flew through the air and making a strong downward slice and loosing another ringing cry as he landed. He noticed Ichigo suddenly and paused, frowning. Then his dark eyes lit with recognition.

"Ichigo?" he inquired curiously, "It has been a while."

"Yeah, you've grown up some."

Byakuya looked back at him appraisingly.

"I asked my dad if he knew you and he didn't. Neither did anyone else I asked. Ichigo, you said you were my friend, but...how do I know you?"

Ichigo sighed and looked down at the mossy ground.

"I noticed before that you look sad sometimes when you look at me. Why is that?" the Kuchiki heir asked.

Ichigo considered the question carefully.

"Byakuya, the truth is that...I don't know why I'm having these dreams...or visions...about your past. I know you as an adult, the leader of the Kuchiki clan and the captain of the sixth division of the Gotei 13. But for some reason, I keep getting pulled into your past. It's strange. I don't know why it's happening."

The boy looked up at him quietly with surprisingly thoughtful eyes and his words shocked Ichigo to the core.

"If you have entered my past and we are sharing this time, it is because I wanted you to see."

"Why?" Ichigo asked, stepping forward and staring harder into the young Byakuya's widened orbs, "Why do you want me to see this?"

"You said you are my friend, did you not?" Byakuya asked.

"Yeah, I'm your friend."

"You must be a good friend if I want you to see so much. Ichigo..."

Ichigo felt a flutter of reiatsu touch him and he came awake again to find his friends all awake and watching him. Between Ichigo and the unconscious Kuchiki heir, a stream of pink reiatsu flowed.

"Wh-what is that?" Ichigo asked in a stunned whisper.

Tetsuya Kuchiki's hand reached out and his fingertips touched the stream lightly.

"This," he said, watching Ichigo closely, "is resonance."


	5. Resonance

**Chapter 5: Resonance**

**(Thanks so much to everyone weighing in on this story. There are some stories that just really get under my skin and want to be written and this seems like one of them. I hope you enjoy this next installment. More will follow soon! I will post shout outs for this chapter on the next. Love you all, Spunky!)**

"Resonance?" Ichigo repeated, gazing intently at the glowing stream of reiatsu that pulsed brightly between Byakuya and him, then slowly began to fade.

"Resonance is primarily a connection between souls," Tetsuya explained, "though it is common for us to also feel that some _things_ resonate with us. We might feel a connection to an item or place that is significant. But it is the resonance between us and other living beings that is most profound."

"And Byakuya and I have this resonance?"

"All souls resonate at some level," Yoruichi clarified, "and the more powerful the resonance, the stronger the connection is between them."

"My bond with Arashi, my stallion, is a perfect or true resonance because in actuality, we are one being in two physical bodies," Tetsuya went on, "but that kind of resonance occurring between two separate souls is very rare."

"And what does it mean if Byakuya and I have that kind of resonance?" Ichigo asked, blinking slowly.

"It can mean a lot of things," Yoruichi said thoughtfully, "Sometimes, it is as simple as two people being meant to share a certain time, place or circumstance. Sometimes, it is a fate the two will share or a passionate relationship."

"And that relationship can be positive or negative," Tetsuya added, "There is a strong resonance that exists between my cousin, Orochi and I, that was formed when I was a prisoner and he was my tormentor."

"So...you're saying that these resonances can be good or bad?"

"I think it's best put that they are what we make of them," Yoruichi corrected him, "The power we wield can, for example, be a good or bad thing. It is what we choose to do with it that decides its nature."

"But...if we have this resonance," Ichigo said, frowning, "then why is it just showing itself now?"

"I don't think it is _just showing itself now_," Tetsuya suggested, "You must remember how you and Byakuya met."

"Yeah," Ichigo sighed, shaking his head, "He almost killed me."

"It was a profound meeting," Yoruichi concluded, "and every time the two of you have crossed paths, you must have felt the strength of that bond you made that day."

"Huh, if you consider him trying to murder me where I stood any kind of bonding," Ichigo mused disbelievingly, "Sounds kinda crazy, if you ask me."

"Think of the level of emotion in all of your interactions," Yoruichi continued, "what you felt in every instance when you crossed paths. You were at cross purposes and both of you were completely committed to your paths. You told Kisuke once that when Byakuya looked at you, you felt a burning from head to toe, intense, scathing heat."

"I think that was just because the guy made it clear that he wanted really badly to kill me."

"That is a powerful negative resonance," Tetsuya informed him, "the kind that exists between my cousin, Orochi and me. For years, while I was a prisoner, Orochi tormented me, taking me from my cell and visiting atrocities on me. He completely controlled all things that touched me and he tried hard to even overtake my will. Even after Byakuya freed me, Orochi and I were drawn to each other in a negative fashion. I even, at one time, left the safety of my cousin's protection and nearly became Orochi's slave again, so strong were the wicked emotions between us. Make no mistake, resonances can be beautiful and fulfilling, but they can also be devastating. It is what we make of them when we become aware of their strength that decides."

"And you're saying that they can change over time?" Ichigo asked.

"What do you think?" Yoruichi asked pointedly, "Byakuya wanted with everything in him to destroy you. He swung his sword at you with that intent and he almost did. But you lived. And not only did you live, you returned to him. And when you did, you didn't attack him with the aim of killing him, Ichigo. You wanted to stop him from killing Rukia...and Byakuya, for all that he had convinced himself to kill her, wanted to be stopped. He couldn't just lay down his sword. Trapped between his own heart and the will of the clan, he had no choice but to oppose you."

"What exactly are you saying?"

"I am saying that when Byakuya tried to kill you and you didn't die, the resonance between you began to shift. You surprised him by living, by evolving and growing stronger. And with each step, each battle, each victory, you strengthened Byakuya's faith in you. By the time you crossed swords with him on Sokyoku Hill, some part of Byakuya knew that you were able to free him."

"But...he still tried to kill me."

"Of course he did," Yoruichi agreed, "Byakuya had made a promise to obey the laws of nobility and those laws chose his path for him. He lost control of his own choices, because he foolishly gave up the right to make them and his path was chosen for him. Your will shattering his was the only thing that could set his choices back in his own hands."

"You didn't just save Rukia that day," Tetsuya said quietly, "You saved Byakuya. And after that, his faith in you continued to grow."

"Despite him always brushing me off and telling me to go back to the world of the living," Ichigo remembered, shaking his head, "That doesn't sound like a connection."

"Come on, Ichigo," Yoruichi chided him, "What do you expect from a prideful person like Byakuya...to oppose you as he did and to have that pride crushed. It was painful for him to even look at you after that, because every time he did, he was reminded of his failures. Still, our failures exist to move us forward, and gradually the sting of the constant reminders receded. As you continued to cross paths and work together, Byakuya's faith in your strong will increased...until he was able to trust you to be the one to defeat Sousuke Aizen...until just hearing that you were coming to Soul Society to protect it from the quincies was enough to sustain him through injuries that should have been the end of him...until he knew that you could defeat Ywach and he was willing to sacrifice his own life just to give you that opening you needed. Ichigo, don't you see? This resonance didn't just appear. It has evolved from you two being enemies and trying to destroy each other...to this."

"But what is _this_?" Ichigo asked in a frustrated tone, looking down into the Kuchiki heir's unseeing eyes.

"Don't you understand?" Tetsuya queried, "Ichigo, it is what you make of it. Even now, even as helpless as he is, his heart is reaching out to yours. What you do will continue to shape the nature of what is between you."

"You say that he's trying to reach out to me?"

"Yes," Yoruichi said with certainty, "The question is, what are you going to do?"

"I don't know," Ichigo answered in a frustrated tone, "I don't know what to do. I know I don't want him to die. I know I want him to get well. But I don't have any control over his injuries and I can't heal him. So, what can I do?"

"I don't know the answer to that," Tetsuya sighed softly, "I only trust there is an answer. And the only way to find it is to listen to your heart and make what choices present themselves to you. You are used to doing that, ne?"

"Yeah, I guess. But I still don't see how anything I'm doing is going to make a difference. I'm just having these weird dreams or visions about his past. How is that going to change anything?"

"I don't think any of us are going to be able to answer that, even if we stay up all night," Renji yawned, "Some of us should get some sleep."

"I slept a little already," Rukia said, glancing at her blue-eyed cousin, "but Tetsuya looks as though he might fall over any minute."

"Oh, I don't think I can fall asleep," Tetsuya replied, shaking his head, "I have been trying all night."

"You could try a little of this," Renji offered, smirking and holding out a cup he had been drinking from, "It's green tea...with a little something to take the edge off."

"You fool, Tetsuya doesn't drink that stuff," Rukia chided him, "You remember what happened at the holiday banquet when someone slipped some into the punch bowl?"

"Yeah," Renji chuckled, watching as Tetsuya accepted the cup from his hand and took a sip, "He didn't even have that much and he still passed out."

"Well, it is as good a way as any right now, I suppose," the blue eyed noble sighed, taking another sip.

"That should be enough," Renji said, taking the cup from his hand and setting it aside.

He sat down in the chair beside Tetsuya's and coaxed the noble into resting his head on the redhead's offered shoulder. Warm, rough fingers ran through the wavy lengths of Tetsuya's raven colored hair and the noble's eyes went hazy, then blinked warningly.

"You okay?"

"F-fine," Tetsuya mumbled wearily, "Just a bit dizzy."

"Close your eyes and get some sleep, okay?" Renji urged him.

"Man, he really is sensitive, ne?" Ichigo laughed softly, "not at all like you, huh?"

"Shut up," Renji said off-handedly, holding Tetsuya against him as the noble began to drift off.

"I guess opposites really do attract," the ginger haired youth laughed.

"That is what Byakuya said," Tetsuya mumbled suddenly, "when I asked him if he was in love with you."

"What?" the Shiba heir inquired, scowling as he realized that the noble had fallen asleep, "Hey, Tetsuya!"

"Keep it down, will you?" Renji complained, lifting his senseless boyfriend and carrying him to the extra bed, "He's out, okay?"

"Come on! He just said that...!"

Yoruichi and Rukia exchanged amused glances and giggled.

"What? You guys don't really think that Byakuya's attracted to me, do you? I mean, the guy tried to kill me! He always tells me that I'm in the way and he..."

"Well, it would make sense of what we saw a little while ago," Yoruichi concluded.

"But...Byakuya was married to a woman," Ichigo objected.

"What's the matter?" Rukia said, arching an eyebrow, "You never heard of someone being bisexual?"

"W-well...but..." Ichigo stammered, prompting another round of giggles from the two women.

"Will you guys knock that off," Renji admonished them from where he had laid down next to his sleeping boyfriend, "Some of us are trying to get some sleep over here."

"Renji, did Byakuya ever tell _you_ he was bisexual...or interested in me?"

"Huh, think for a minute before asking me something stupid like that. Captain Kuchiki's a really private person. He wouldn't just talk to anyone about something like that."

"No," Ichigo mused more softly, glancing back at the unconscious clan leader, then back at Tetsuya, "That's something he'd only tell someone really, really close to him."

"Calm down, okay?" Rukia sighed, "Even if my brother _was_ interested in you that way, it doesn't change his condition."

"No, but it might explain why he would be resonating with me like he is."

"Maybe," Yoruichi yawned, "But, if you ask me, rather than blustering about and yelling about it, you should try to think about what that means. Quiet down and give it some thought. It's not like there's any rush, right? He's not going anywhere and, from the looks of things, neither are you."

"No. He's my friend. I'm staying," Ichigo said resolutely.

"That just leaves one question," Rukia said, her expression solemn.

"Oh? What's that."

Rukia's lips twitched and curved upward into a smirk.

"Do you like him back?"

"What?" Ichigo squawked, "What the hell kinda question is that?"

"Calm down. I was just teasing you."

"Well, cut it out. That's not funny!"

"Are you saying you _don't_ like him that way?" Rukia asked, crossing her arms and arching an eyebrow.

"Geez, it's a little unfair asking me a question like that when first of all, we don't even _know_ if Tetsuya was telling the truth or just too out of it to know what he was saying and secondly, I've had about two seconds to think about what that means!"

"He's right. You should leave him alone to think about it," Yoruichi said, giving Ichigo a closer look, "Rukia, why don't we get a little fresh air and give Ichigo some time alone?"

"What about them?" Rukia asked, indicating the two men in the other bed.

"They look like they're out and I think Ichigo and Byakuya should be alone for a while, don't you? Who knows? Maybe it will make some kind of difference."

Rukia frowned and looked from Ichigo to her brother.

"Oh...fine, I guess. I could use something to drink, I suppose."

Rukia rose from her seat and followed Yoruichi out the door, leaving Ichigo standing near the unconscious Kuchiki heir and looking down into his dark eyes thoughtfully. He sat down in the chair that Rukia had vacated and took the clan leader's limp, cool hand in his.

"This isn't about _that_, okay?" he said guardedly, "I just want to know why you're doing this...and if there's a way it can help to bring you back. More important than anything, you're my friend and I want you to be okay. So, for now, I'll forget what your cousin said and just let you speak to me however you can."

He leaned forward and closed his eyes, resting his head on the noble's shoulder and emptying his mind. For several minutes, all he was aware of was how quiet it had gotten and how he could feel the gentle throbs of Byakuya's beating heart against the side of his face. Slowly, a warmth seemed to wrap itself around him and he was drawn away again, lifted briefly and dropped down into a chill, rainy forest. He recognized it as the place where he had seen Byakuya before and looked around to try to spot the little boy. For a long time, he saw nothing but dark forest and heard little more than the drip of the rain coming down through the thick trees. In moments, he was soaked to the skin and shivering, but he didn't even register the discomfort.

_Where are you?_

A flash step sounded and Ichigo got a glimpse of what looked to be a teenaged girl with long black hair lifted and restrained in a high ponytail. Then he spotted a flicker of pink reiatsu around the person's hands and caught a breath of sakura.

_Is that Byakuya? He's older. But last time, he looked like he had aged a little too. Huh..._

Putting his thoughts aside, Ichigo flash stepped after, calling the noble's name and trying to get him to stop.

But Byakuya neither stopped nor slowed, nor even acknowledged he was there. The Kuchiki heir continued in blistering flash steps, heading away from the Kuchiki estate and out into the edges of the Rukongai.

"Byakuya!"

The rain came down harder, making it difficult to see and slowing him as he tried to follow. He nearly lost sight of the other youth in the darkness and raised his own speed dangerously to close the distance. He saw a flash of pink in the trees ahead of him and heard Byakuya give a howling battle cry.

Ichigo reached the place where the noble was and slid to a stop just short, watching as the Kuchiki heir grabbed the hollow he was fighting and threw it back hard against a tree. He blazed forward and dragged the creature to its feet, gripping it by the throat and glaring into its widened golden eyes.

"Tell me where he is!" the noble screamed, "You tell me the name of the one who killed him or I'll go on killing you until I've killed every hollow that exists!"

"You're crazy! I don't know which one of our brethren killed that shinigami. How would I know that?"

_"One of you_ must know!" Byakuya insisted, his eyes glowing red with rage as he clenched the hollow's throat more tightly until the creature simply groaned and evaporated.

"Byakuya!"

The Kuchiki heir ignored him and burst into flash steps, racing through the forest and honing in on the next group of hollow presences. His sword glowed pink and he attacked without warning, slaughtering half of the group and barely slowing as the rest of the group brought their weapons to bear.

_Damn, there's too many of them. What is he doing?_

Ichigo flash stepped towards them, calling his swords to his hands and swinging them at the nearest enemies as he entered the clearing. To his surprise, the blades passed through the hollows as though they weren't there.

"What?" he hissed, reeling as he saw the noble teen take a heavy blow to the midsection and go crashing through the trees, "Damn it! Byakuya!"

The teen's body struck the ground forcefully, but somehow curled into a roll and he returned to his feet just in time to thwart the claws of the hollows that had followed him. Senbonzakura sliced through several before the remaining hollows closed in on the noble again, forcing him back and cornering him. The bloodied Kuchiki heir and the hollows stood, facing each other and breathing hard.

"You were a fool to come out here alone, _boy_!" the strongest looking hollow snapped, moving forward, "There are more than enough of us here to make an end of you. Why did you leave yourself open like this? You made it easy for us. Tell me why?"

Byakuya loosed a small flutter of reiatsu that resonated somewhat differently than his own.

"I am looking for the hollow that killed the man with that reiatsu. Tell me where it is and I will have no reason to continue killing all of you."

"Arrogant _child_!" the hollow sneered, "Your sword may be powerful, but it will not save you against all of us. You will only join that man in death!"

"Then, _so be it_!" roared Byakuya, his eyes blazing as he threw himself against the hollows.

"No, don't!" Ichigo cried, watching in horror and unable to do anything to stop what was about to happen.

Byakuya's sword flashed, then melted into a sea of petal blades that tore at the horde of hollows as he struck out wildly with his hands and feet. Blood exploded all around them, raining down on the hollows and the crazed noble prince as their bodies entangled and tore at each other.

A skeletal hand wrapped around the Kuchiki heir's throat and hollow laughter rang out louder than a crack of thunder in the storm.

"I told you what would happen," the hollow snarled, glaring into Byakuya's maddened eyes. You are going to _die_, boy!"

A scathing flash step sounded and Byakuya suddenly disappeared from the hollow's grasp. Ichigo recognized the reiatsu immediately and followed as the one who had stolen the Kuchiki heir's injured body from the hollows continued to make a hasty retreat.

"Yoruichi?" Ichigo said tentatively, watching as the Shihoin princess found a safe place, far from the hollows, then laid the injured teen on his back near a small brook.

But as with the hollows, Yoruichi couldn't seem to hear him at all.

"Little fool," the cat woman chided Byakuya, "They could have killed you."

"What do _you_ know, you beastly _werebitch_!" the Kuchiki heir seethed, sitting up and leaning away from her, "For all you pretended to be his friend, I don't see _you_ doing anything to avenge him!"

"Is that why you did this?" Yoruichi asked, looking back in the direction of the hollows, "What were you thinking?"

"I was thinking that hollow deserved to die. That's what I was thinking!" Byakuya said hotly.

_Whoa!_ Ichigo mused inwardly, _I don't think I've ever seen him like that. And this kind of reckless vendetta? That's really not like him._

"Hold still," Yoruichi said, frowning, "You're bleeding really badly. We don't have to talk about this right now, but at least let me heal you. You're going to scare the life out of your attendant when you go home."

Byakuya let out a hissing breath, but settled slightly and let her move in close again.

"Look," the Shihoin heir went on, "I know this is really hard for you. We all loved Soujun, but this isn't the way to honor his memory, and you of all people know that."

Ichigo heard a very soft catching of breath.

"What do you expect me to do?" Byakuya managed in a tormented voice.

"I know you can't do _this_. Not if you killed every hollow in Hueco Mundo or even found the one that took your father's life...not even then, Byakuya. This isn't just reckless, it is destructive."

"What's left to destroy?" Byakuya asked in a broken whisper, "Everything is gone."

"That's not true. You have a grandfather who is mourning the loss of his son. Do you think Ginrei feels this an ounce less than you do? That he doesn't want to go out and slaughter the hollow that took his son away? He is hurting as much as you are and if you had an ounce of sense, you'd be home with him and not out here trying to add to his misery by getting yourself killed too!"

Byakuya's reiatsu flared ominously, but gritted his teeth furiously and said nothing.

"You know I am right. Just stop this. Go home, Byakuya. Mourn your losses, but don't let them destroy you."

"Shut up!" the Kuchiki heir seethed, "I don't need _you_ to tell me that!"

He disappeared in a flash step, leaving the purple haired girl looking after him and sighing heavily.

"Baka..."

Ichigo was surprised to find it easy to follow Byakuya's reiatsu to where the teen slowed down and took refuge beneath a small group of sakura trees. He knelt on the ground beneath the trees, looking up at the cloudy sky and watching the lightning illuminate the falling rain. Ichigo moved closer and watched as Byakuya remained still and quiet, looking upward.

"Did you know?" he asked suddenly.

"Huh?" Ichigo blundered, startled at being caught off guard.

"When you appeared when I was younger, you knew, didn't you? Why didn't you say anything?"

Ichigo took a steadying breath and moved forward to join the noble on the rain drenched ground.

"It wouldn't have mattered," he explained.

"How can you say that?"

"It wouldn't have mattered, because we are still in your past, Byakuya. What's going on here...already happened. Telling you wouldn't have helped. I don't know why this is all happening and I know it's painful for you to go back here."

He paused and slid a hand into Byakuya's.

"But you're not alone."

Byakuya made a soft, surprised inhale.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked curiously.

"What you just said," Byakuya mused, looking at him through sad but touched eyes, "You said I'm not alone...but...when this happened before..._I was_."


	6. The Place of Noble Pain

**Chapter 6: The Place of Noble Pain**

**(Thanks to everyone for the constant source of motivation, although the story, too, has me by the teeth and won't let go. My gratitude to Winterheart2000 (One of the hallmarks of m stories is that I use canon as a springboard into all kinds of wonderful deviations. It's a lot of fun!), BleachLover (Here you go!), Picklez80 (Thanks for all the love!), Anon (I wish Kubo could cover more of this and in an interview he confessed he would love to get more into the history of multiple characters, but doesn't have the time.), Kittykins (The wait is over!), Aizenfan6969 (So glad you like it!), Willow (I think sometimes readers don't realize just how much impact those deaths had on Byakuya. Kubo himself said that the coldness is on the surface. I love going beneath that!), khonlay (Here you go then, and more is flying your way soon!), Tomyallen (My muse loves you right back! :) This story has that special feel to it like Learning to Love Without Sake, which I wrote at comparable speed. Some stories really, really resonate, just like people!), IchiGrimm (And here it is! Would have published yesterday, but got shanghaied by my mom coming to visit!), Parnita (I adore young Byakuya and include him whenever I can!), Dianne060807 (Thanks a million! Here's another to get the ball rolling again!), blood87 (lol, next begins now!), No Name (I try not to play favorites, but this is one I can't help but come back to!), arelia22 (You are most welcome!), Jazzybella (I too am finding great pleasure in the slow buildup. This is fun!), and Mrs. Passionate (Awww, well, here you go!) Love you all! Spunky)**

"You don't really think you were alone before, do you?" Ichigo asked, studying Byakuya's blood splashed face, "What about Yoruichi? I know she annoys you, but she did just save your life."

"_And _scolded me like I was a child," the teen added indignantly.

"I think you scared her by being so reckless," Ichigo concluded, "But even if not her, you have your grandfather, and what about Tetsuya?"

Byakuya frowned curiously.

"Who?"

"Oh," the Shiba heir said, "S-sorry, you must not have met him yet. But that's not the important thing. What's important is that there are people around you who care about you and only want to help you."

"Yes, I understand," the Kuchiki heir sighed, "But don't you ever have times when you are surrounded by people, even people who you care about and who return your feelings of affection...but even in their midst, you feel as though you are somehow disconnected? I ask because although I see people around me and I hear the things they say, I don't feel any comfort...any connection. It is like my heart has gone numb, Ichigo. Even now, speaking to you, you look faded and your voice is harder to hear."

He paused, searching for words and watching in silence as Ichigo's hand touched his cheek gently. Byakuya's eyes widened and a look of distress began to overtake his normally stoic features.

"What is happening, Ichigo? Are you disappearing?"

"No," Ichigo answered instantly, placing his hands on the other youth's face and looking deeply into his dark, tormented eyes, "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere. Byakuya, even if you can't see me or we can't hear each other, I'm still here, do you understand? You wanted me here for a reason and you and I are going to figure out why. Trust me, okay?"

"I trust you."

Ichigo opened his mouth to say more, but felt himself pulled away and spun around wildly.

"What the...? Whoa!"

He crashed down again and found himself collapsed on the stone floor of a large gathering chamber.

"Huh?" he mused, sitting up and scratching his head as he scanned the room.

Ahead of him, twelve dark haired, well dressed men and women sat around a large table that dominated the center of the room. At the head of the table, two more aged men stood as though addressing them. Behind the Shiba heir, on the edges of the room, a scattering of what seemed to be a mixture of visitors and attendants sat in chairs that encircled the chamber.

"I wonder where Byakuya went?" he whispered, righting himself and standing.

He moved closer, unseen by the people in the chamber.

_Is that...old man Ginrei? I saw a portrait of him when I was at Kuchiki Manor, but..._

"You asked for evidence and now you have undeniable proof. I am in agreement with those of you who question my grandson's methods, but given the facts, we cannot deny justice to those who were taken from their homes and, without trial, cast into darkness and, in many cases, death."

"I agree that we should certainly look into the matter," said one of the men seated at the table, "but I think we must insist that the heir be cautioned that he cannot proceed so heedlessly. The boy becomes more willful by the moment, it seems. He is very powerful and will make a great leader someday if his vices are curbed now, but..."

"You stray from the point of this meeting," Ginrei went on.

"We understand your concern about the rumors of the prison," a stately woman at the table answered, "and as Councilor Hisoka has said, we will look into it."

"I did not ask you here to have you agree to look into it," Ginrei said solemnly, "but to announce to the council that, at this very moment, due to information gathered that indicated that prisoners in that place are in immediate danger, I have sent Byakuya and a unit of fighters to _assess the situation_ and to intervene if necessary."

"What?" several of the gathered councilors exclaimed.

"That's madness!"

"Without council approval, you...?"

"This is unbelievable!"

"This is an urgent situation," Ginrei said sternly, power flaring and making his grey eyes glow warningly.

"This is another sign that you are being too lenient with that boy!" one of the male councilors snapped angrily, "That's what this is about, isn't it?"

"No, Isas," Ginrei said, shaking his head, "Byakuya is, I will admit, a person who is sometimes reckless in his decisions, but no more so than any other young boy. He will grow wiser with time. But setting that aside, there is a battle going on at the prison and I must take my leave of you."

Ichigo flash stepped to follow as the old man concluded his remarks to the Kuchiki elders, then left the building and hastily moved to a group of horsemen who waited for him.

"Has word come from Itamigiri?" he asked one of the men.

"We just received a hell butterfly," the man answered, "The heir's group has reached the prison and they are in position."

"Then, we need to go quickly!"

Ichigo felt himself being torn away and just managed to brace himself as he was dropped down onto a grassy, tree spotted hill, under a dark, clouded sky that had blotted out the light of the moon and stars.

"Damn!" he muttered, looking around and locating a group of hooded men and women crouched among the trees and rocks.

He felt Byakuya's presence and moved towards it, pausing to catch the teen's eyes. To his surprise, the youth gave no reaction to him being there.

"Byakuya?"

He moved closer to the group, unsurprised that the others did not see him, but mystified as to why it seemed Byakuya hadn't either.

"What's going on?"

He almost jumped out of his skin as the Kuchiki heir passed and breathed a few words in his ear.

"I just didn't want them to think I'm crazy, talking to people who aren't there," he whispered, "although it was harder to see you. Perhaps it's the darkness. Follow me, but don't distract me."

The group spread out carefully and crept forward, closing in on the black stone fortress ahead of them. They stopped just short of the gates, several of them taking careful aim on the guards that stood at the gates and on the high stone walls. But just as Byakuya gathered himself to give them the signal to attack, a lone, glowing streak of red kido flew into the sky from somewhere within the fortress.

Byakuya stiffened in reaction.

"What the...?"

"We've been betrayed!" hissed the furious heir, "Attack now! We must get in quickly!"

Kido blasts erupted all around Ichigo and he almost lost sight of Byakuya as the teen flash stepped wildly, taking aim on the hard iron gates and blasting them into shards. The rescuers swarmed into the prison courtyard, taking down the guards with deadly accuracy as screams and explosions sounded within the prison.

Byakuya loosed a blast that incinerated the heavy iron doors and the rescuers burst forward, spilling into the prison corridors and racing towards the cells where the prisoners were being kept. Screams of the injured and dying rang in their ears as they arrived at their destination to find guards running down the rows of cells, loosing kido on the thin, powerless men, women and children trapped inside. Byakuya left the main group to fight off the guards and raced through the corridors, striking at more sentries that were slaying other groups of prisoners without challenge. Blazes of blue light exploded from the enraged heir's hands, blasting the men off their feet, then shattering the cell doors and freeing the ones within.

"Run!" he commanded them, "Go towards the main gates!"

He continued in his heedless path with Ichigo a step behind as his dark eyes scanned the cells as though looking for something. He inhaled sharply as he turned a corner and found another guard firing into one of the cells. A boy's scream sounded as Byakuya drew his sword and sliced the guard's body cleanly in half. His sword hand shaking, he turned to look into the cell, a shudder going through him as he stared down at two thin collapsed boys.

"Oh no..." he murmured, moving forward through the ruined doorway and dropping to his knees on the filthy cell floor, "Don't be..."

Byakuya went silent as a soft, heartbroken sob leaked out from underneath the body of the boy that laid partially on top of another. He gently moved the deceased boy and helped the other boy sit up.

"N-naoki!" sobbed the surviving boy, scrambling to his cellmate's side, "Naoki, no!"

Kido blasts shook the corridor and the sounds of battle drew nearer.

"We must leave this place," Byakuya told the youth in a soft, but insistent voice, "It isn't safe."

"B-but Naoki!" the boy objected, his wide blue eyes fixing on Byakuya's and freezing the Kuchiki heir in place, "I can't leave him!"

Byakuya looked down at the fallen youth and his eyes saddened.

"Please! He saved my life. I can't..."

"I will bring him," Byakuya said, lifting the dead boy into his arms.

"But how will you fight?"

"I will manage. But first, will you tell me your name?"

A small sad smile found its way onto Ichigo's lips as the boy answered.

"My name is Tetsuya. I am Tetsuya Kuchiki."

"And your parents?"

"Takao and Kiko Kuchiki," Tetsuya answered, his voice still shaking.

"And where are they being held?"

Tetsuya's eyes closed for a moment and his voice shook harder.

"S-sir, they are dead. My father was executed years ago and my mother died of illness last year."

Tetsuya paused at the tormented look that flashed on Byakuya's face, then gasped in surprise.

"Y-you...you are _him_?"

"I am Byakuya."

Tetsuya collapsed at the Kuchiki heir's feet.

"Lord Byakuya!"

"Get up!" Byakuya cautioned him, "And come with me quickly. We've been betrayed. We have get out of here!"

Byakuya rested Naoki's body over his shoulder and led Tetsuya out of the cellblock. As they emerged, a kido strike shattered the stone just in front of the Kuchiki heir, forcing him to take Tetsuya to the ground as he fired back at their attacker. The ground rocked under their feet and dust and shale rained down on them. A stinging scent rose up sharply, making the thin boy at Byakuya's side cringe.

"F-fire!" he mouthed in dismay.

"They are burning the prison," Byakuya said woodenly, "They don't want there to be any evidence. But it doesn't matter. We're getting out of here."

They fled swiftly, Tetsuya's shaky legs evidencing surprising strength. They found a place where the walls had collapsed and crawled through the broken stone to escape onto the hillside. All at once, a battle cry sounded and a maddened guard charged at them from out of a cluster of fallen stone, firing kido at them before Byakuya could react.

Ichigo watched in wonder as Tetsuya's blue eyes flared with sudden, intense blue light and something huge and dark rose up between the boys and their attacker.

"Arashi?" Ichigo whispered, staring breathlessly as the stallion erupted from Tetsuya's body and loosed a sea of ice blades that swallowed up the guard, leaving the escape path open.

Wordlessly, Byakuya threw Naoki's body across the horse's back and lifted Tetsuya up, then flash stepped up to join them. Arashi reared and screamed, then raced away, leaving Ichigo gazing after them. He started to follow, but was swept forward and deposited again in the chambers of the Kuchiki elders, where Byakuya stood, formally dressed, pale and quiet as the elders berated him.

"Recklessness! Sheer and utter lawlessness!" snapped one of the men.

"How many of our pureblood brethren did you sacrifice, trying to save that useless bunch of _mixed blood trash_?" another hissed scathingly.

"Despite our understanding of the urgency of the situation," Head Councilor Nori said, his aged eyes sad, "you did break several laws in storming the prison. I think what my colleagues want is some assurance that this kind of action will not happen again."

Byakuya's body shook slightly, but he stiffened against the emotion and stared back at the elders unrepentantly.

"I will never fail to act when the lives of our family members are threatened, even if it is by our own treacherous kin!"

"I see," said Councilor Isas, "But you should tread more carefully. Remember that you have no proof but the word of those slaves you rescued to support your cause right now."

"I understand," Byakuya said, his slender form calming and his hands unclenching, "I did break several clan laws and some of my team was lost in the storming of Itamigiri. As penance, I will allow the council to choose my punishment. If you wish me removed as heir, I will accept it. If you wish me beaten or executed, I will obey."

"Your _obedience_ comes a little late," Councilor Isas seethed.

"But," said Head Councilor Nori, "rest assured this council is wise enough to know that even in your arrogance and recklessness, you did act honorably to save those wrongfully imprisoned. And we would gain nothing by losing the promise of your leadership in the future. What we need is an assurance that this kind of act will not be repeated."

Byakuya paused, then let out a long,soft sigh.

"If this council will promise me that they will diligently pursue leads to any additional instances of such places as this imprisoning innocent people, I will give my promise not to circumvent the council's wishes on the matter again."

"I don't think that's enough of an assurance," Isas said, scowling, "This boy shows nothing but disregard for the authority of this council. He needs some kind of punishment!"

"And you think that the failure of my mission, the loss of the people that I went to save is not punishment enough?" Byakuya asked softly, "My father's most loved cousin and his wife _died _in that place. All that was left of Takao, one of the pureblooded sons you so vehemently defend, was a mixed blood son who has been a prisoner all of his life when he never committed a crime of any kind! I may not have the proof you asked for about everything that happened in that place, but I brought proof before you of this!"

"What? The word of that little lying wretch?" Isas steamed, "What proof is his word?"

"I meant this," Byakuya said, withdrawing a small, partially burnt stack of papers, "These are records of prisoners taken into the prison and Takao and Kiko Kuchiki are listed here. Also, you will find a record of Tetsuya's birth in the prison. In addition, a clan healer has confirmed a match between Tetsuya's blood and reiatsu and samples of Takao's that were taken from some of his belongings. There is no question about what happened in the case of our cousin."

"And where is the boy?" asked Councilor Arisu, turning a curious eye on Byakuya.

"He is recovering at Kuchiki Manor," Byakuya answered, "When he is well enough, our cousin, Sadao, has said that he will take Tetsuya into his subfamily. I am granting him family status...Tetsuya and all of the survivors."

"You go too far!"

"You say I go too far?" Byakuya said, glaring at the gathered elders, "Our pureblooded kin who claim to be law abiding members of this clan imprisoned and tortured people who never did any wrong. If you think me a monster for ending their treachery, then name your punishment. I will accept it gladly. Let the hatred those people felt fall on me!"

Nori cleared his throat softly.

"I don't think that is necessary," he said, glancing at his colleagues, "I think that we can trust that you will be more forthcoming with your plans next time and that we will not have a repeat of this."

"That is a fair expectation," Byakuya agreed.

He turned on his heel and exited the chamber, leaving the elders staring after him.

"Damn," Ichigo greeted him as the Kuchiki heir strode out of the council hall, "I've been told you were different when you were younger, but...wow..."

"Are you disappointed?" Byakuya asked quietly.

"No," Ichigo said, moving closer and earning a curious stare as he slipped an arm around the surprised teen, "I think you're amazing. I think I have an amazing, wonderful, beautiful friend in you."

"Ichigo," Byakuya said, looking into the Shiba heir's golden brown eyes, "it's getting harder to see you...to feel your presence here. I noticed it before, but it's even more obvious now. What do you think is happening?"

"I don't know," Ichigo confessed, bringing his face closer to the Kuchiki heir's, "but it will be okay. I promise."

"I feel like every day...every time I cross them, I don't know, I lose a little bit of myself. I don't know if that makes sense to you."

"Maybe. You're at odds with them a lot, but they're still your family. It's go to be hard for you."

"I understand why there are rules," Byakuya went on, "and I do try to follow them, but sometimes it's painful to be that way. I don't want to dishonor my parents...my grandfather, but I can't just stand by and let atrocities and hatred tear us apart from the inside. I don't think that serves anyone's best interests...no matter that they do count the mixed bloods as _inferior_. It makes me angry, Ichigo. And I am not going to let this be the end of it."

"What do you mean?"

"They want to treat the mixed bloods as lower family members...slaves. But I am going to show them how foolish that is," the Kuchiki heir said, his eyes hardening, "I am going to train Tetsuya myself. I feel that he could be strong. They want to keep him weak, but I won't allow it. I will make him strong. He will have such strength, he won't need me to defend him anymore. He will...!"

Byakuya paused, then let out a wounded breath.

"You see, Ichigo?" he said, shaking his head, "I _try_ to be obedient, but sometimes I just can't. I couldn't live with myself."

"No," Ichigo agreed, holding him more tightly, "because your heart won't let you!"

"Do you think that's why?" the Kuchiki heir asked, his hands tightening where they held on to Ichigo's arms, "Is that why I'm having more trouble seeing you? Am I losing my heart, Ichigo?"

The issuance of his name in Byakuya's voice seemed to echo in Ichigo's ears as he woke to find his head still rested on Byakuya's shoulder. He sat up and stretched, breathing in deeply, then losing his breath completely as Byakuya's eyes blinked slowly and crawled painfully slowly to meet his. At first, they only looked back at him blankly, then a flash of recognition registered and Byakuya's fingers moved faintly.

"Byakuya!"

For one moment, he felt the full presence of the clan leader, then his eyes closed and his fingers went limp and still again.

"H-hey," Ichigo said, his heart pounding.

He jumped up and ran out of the room, returning a moment later with Hanataro and Rukia and Yoruichi on his heels.

"He looked at me and he moved his fingers!" Ichigo reported excitedly, "I think he's waking up!"

Hanataro moved to Byakuya's bedside and examined him carefully for several long minutes.

"He is still unconscious," the healer reported.

"But he looked at me like he knew me!" Ichigo objected.

"And he may well have been aware of you," Hanataro agreed, "He may come in and out of consciousness for a while. It is a good sign. Don't worry. He is going to wake up soon, Ichigo."

"Yeah," the Shiba heir sighed, looking crestfallen, "I know. I just...thought that..."

"It's a good thing, Ichigo," the healer assured him, "It's a very good sign. You shouldn't be disappointed. I think it won't be much longer."

"Okay," Ichigo managed, surprised at the pain that seemed to clench at his insides, "Thanks."

"You look pretty shaken up," Rukia commented, sitting down next to him as Ichigo returned to Byakuya's side, "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine," Ichigo assured her, "It's him I'm worried about. He said he's having trouble seeing me when we're in those dreams. I don't know what it means, Rukia...if it's a good or a bad thing. But I don't know how it could be a good thing when it made him..."

"When it made him what?" asked Yoruichi, "What happened this time, Ichigo?"

"His hands were shaking," Ichigo remembered, the odd chill returning to the pit of his stomach, "I think he was afraid."

"That actually makes a little bit of sense," Yoruichi said, earning a look of surprise from the Shiba heir, "After all, Byakuya's clan firmly believes that it is the responsibility of the noble class to set an example for all shinigamis."

"Yeah, I know, but..."

"I wasn't there when Byakuya went up against the elders over Tetsuya and later, Hisana and Rukia. But how hard do you imagine it was to stomach the idea that he was expected to view those three, who he loved, as _lesser_? I think what happened is that eventually what was expected and what was in his heart collided and the result was that promise he made to his parents."

"Then, he was right? What he was so worried about was what happened?"

"Think about what you felt when his sword cut you down, Ichigo," Yoruichi urged him, "Think carefully."

Ichigo strained his mind, forcing himself back into that moment and feeling his friends' eyes that watched him.

"I don't know," Ichigo whispered, confusion fogging his vision, "I didn't feel hatred or anger, nothing like that. When Byakuya tried to kill me...I just felt _emptiness_..._cold_. When I was with him this time, he was worried that he might be losing his heart. Do you think that's what happened?"

He didn't wait for an answer, but took Byakuya's hand in his and whispered into the clan leader's ear.

"You listen to me. You're wrong. There's no way in hell you're losing your heart, okay? I think that the reason you pulled me into your past...is to help you find it. And I think once you do, it will help you find your way back to us. Hang in there, all right? It's going to be okay. Even if you stop hearing my voice, even if you can't see me, I'll still be there, Byakuya. I promise! I swear it!"


	7. The Rebellion

**Chapter 7: The Rebellion**

Ichigo became aware again suddenly, sliding easily from sleep into Byakuya's mind. At home now with the feeling of connection he had with the Kuchiki heir, he only looked around questioningly to determine where he was and finding himself in the familiar forest near Kuchiki Manor, he headed in the direction he sensed Byakuya's reiatsu.

The hour was still early and the area was chilly and heavily misted, slightly dulling the sounds of clashing metal that led him towards the place where the Kuchiki heir fought. But despite the sounds, Byakuya's reiatsu was focused and calm, rather than heightened and threatening, telling Ichigo that it was likely that the young man was training. He reached the top of a cliff that overlooked a lovely waterfall as well as a gently misted lake and calm meadow, and found the Kuchiki heir looking taller and more mature. His sparring partner, too, was immediately familiar, although Tetsuya's small form had grown and filled out notably. His reiatsu had strengthened respectably, although he still had a more delicate look about him that Ichigo thought sadly, must have been due to the trials of his early life.

But however weak Tetsuya had been when rescued from the prison, he now radiated strength more on the level of what the Shiba heir knew the young man's ability to be. And where he had been but a ragged, nearly powerless boy upon Ichigo's last visit, there was nothing weak about him as he dodged Byakuya's swift strikes, countering with sword and kido, managing to read his cousin's movements swiftly and launching his own attacks as the two flash stepped wildly around the meadow, their reiatsu flaring impressively. Ichigo sat down beneath one of the trees, watching silently as the two worked together.

"Your flash step is faster," Byakuya panted, "but you are still trying to take me head on, Cousin. You are smaller and lighter than me."

"Which should mean I would be faster," Tetsuya replied, dodging a hissing slice, "b-but you are still faster than me."

"You are already able to use kido to reinforce your strikes," Byakuya counseled him, "but you must be lighter in your stances and better at redirecting the energy of my strikes. Don't take them head on, but from one side or the other so that you can push them away without needing to use so much force."

"Hai!" Tetsuya managed, flash stepping back, then circling until Byakuya flash stepped forward to make his next attack.

"That was better," the Kuchiki heir complimented him as Tetsuya practiced the move several times, "Time then to move on to the release of our weapons."

Senbonzakura glowed a bright pink in Byakuya's hand, then the bladed petals started to flutter about without the young man speaking a word. As the petals gathered and swelled around the two, Tetsuya's blade flashed a bright blue and twenty or so copies of the younger Kuchiki exploded from his body and began to advance on Byakuya. Ichigo shook his head appreciatively as Tetsuya shifted between the copies, managing several sword and kido strikes before all of his waterforms were destroyed.

He felt a flicker of concern for Tetsuya, but it disappeared swiftly as the mist, thickened by the destruction of Tetsuya's icy waterforms, created frost that coated many of the incoming petals, slowing them enough to allow the younger Kuchiki to escape them. Kido exploded from Tetsuya's hand and he followed, moving in close to attack with his sword as Byakuya called out another wave of petals that forced him slowly back. Tetsuya employed several more strategically placed waterforms he had set while attacking and threw himself at Byakuya from multiple directions, held off each time by the Kuchiki heir's quick reflexes. By the end of the exchange, both young men were panting and sweaty, and small cuts leaked blood onto their fine, white skin. Still, neither seemed fazed at all as Byakuya halted them for a moment and looked at Tetsuya with an appraising gaze.

"I think you are ready, Tetsuya," he said quietly, loosing his glowing pink reiatsu around him.

Tetsuya gave no answer, but blue light flared up around his smaller body and resisted as Byakuya's reiatsu strengthened and began to press aggressively against it.

"Man, do I remember that," Ichigo chuckled, watching as the Kuchiki heir's reiatsu harassed the younger man, making fresh beads of sweat form on his shaking body and forcing him back a few steps.

"Focus," Byakuya whispered, his dark eyes watching his cousin closely and his reiatsu surrounding Tetsuya and starting to squeeze painfully inward, "Make your mind quiet, peaceful...let your reiatsu flow freely."

Tetsuya wasted no breath on answering, but poured his effort into increasing the intensity of the power that glowed around him. His slender body strained and shook harder as he struggled against Byakuya's greater power, but Ichigo sensed the Kuchiki heir knew exactly what his cousin's limits were and held him carefully there as the two clashed. Pain registered on Tetsuya's face, but his eyes maintained a determined look. Slowly, within the band of bright blue, mist swirled and a dark shape began to appear in front of him.

"Tetsuya!" Byakuya breathed, his breath freezing as it exited his body.

The two young men watched raptly as the dark figure began to light itself from within and very gradually took on the form of a small, pixie-like creature dressed in lovely shades of blue. Even her glinting eyes and the dancing strands of her long, wavy hair were shades of blue. She hovered in the air between the two cousins, freezing Tetsuya in place with her gaze for several long moments.

"R-re-kuhime!" Tetsuya panted.

The pixie smiled in reply, then slowly faded. A moment later, Tetsuya simply collapsed onto the long grass. Byakuya dropped onto his knees at his nearly senseless cousin's side, pulling Tetsuya close and holding him tightly.

"You've done it," the Kuchiki heir whispered into his ear, "You've reached manifestation. They cannot look down on you and hold you back any longer. They will have to give in and give their blessing to me elevating you to the position of my protector!"

Tetsuya relaxed against his cousin's shoulder, still panting and weary to the point of seeing stars.

"It doesn't matter what happens...what they decide," Tetsuya said, returning his cousin's strong embrace, "You have made me a son that my parents could have taken pride in. That is all I wanted, Lord Byakuya. That is enough."

Ichigo's vision suddenly dimmed and he felt himself drawn away again. He woke to find himself still at Byakuya's side with Tetsuya sitting quietly alongside him and watching him with concerned eyes.

"Ah," the Shiba heir yawned, stretching, "Where did everyone go?"

"Rukia and Renji went to check in with their fighting units and Lady Yoruichi left to speak to the Kuchiki council about Byakuya's condition. I was hoping I could speak to you alone, if you don't mind."

"Sure, no problem," Ichigo replied.

Tetsuya took a steadying breath, studying his recovering cousin for a moment before continuing.

"I owe you an apology, Lord Shiba."

Ichigo scowled.

"First of all, don't call me that and secondly, you don't owe me anything."

"But I am aware that I said something while my guard was down that I should not have said and..."

"Tetsuya," Ichigo interrupted, making the younger Kuchiki freeze and stare at him even more curiously, "I want you to forget about that, okay?"

Tetsuya blinked in surprise and regarded him with a confused expression that coaxed a smile and a soft laugh from the Shiba heir.

"You were exhausted and just trying to get to sleep. You didn't do anything wrong."

"But how can you say that? I did betray Byakuya's confidence. And it must have had an effect of some kind."

"What?" Ichigo chuckled, "Did you say something? I don't remember anything."

Tetsuya frowned.

"But of course you do. That is completely clear. Are you playing with me?" he asked.

Ichigo's face took on a more somber look and he shook his head.

"I was kidding around, but I'm serious about this. What Byakuya thinks and feels about me is something that he will share with me or not, as he chooses. Right now, all I want to think about is helping him get better. I know you want that too, so don't worry about it. If Byakuya wants to confide something like that in me, he will when he's ready. In the meantime, I think we should just focus on getting him well, don't you?"

"Y-yes," Tetsuya agreed, a look of relief overtaking his features, "Thank you, Ichigo."

"I told you to forget it," the Shiba heir said amiably, "You've got enough to deal with, what with Byakuya hurt, some of those old farts on the council are probably giving you a hard time, right?"

"Not so much," Tetsuya answered, "There are only a few who still bother and that is because they look down on all people not of pure noble origin. The elders were very much opposed to my elevation to the position of Byakuya's bodyguard, but most were convinced to accept me after Byakuya civilized me and brought me to the peak of my abilities. A few of the elders had remaining doubts but the only one who outright refused to accept me was Isas, our cousin, Orochi's, father."

"Orochi, he's the one who was so cruel to you in the prison, right?"

"Yes. Orochi was chosen to infiltrate the prison and to find and protect my family. But while we waited for Byakuya to come, he used me and my cellmate, Naoki for his sexual pleasures and would punish us severely for the slightest of infractions."

"He sounds like a real bastard," Ichigo observed.

"His subfamily is very adamant about keeping the bloodlines pure. Isas is rumored to have secretly supported the creation of the prison, Itamigiri, but of course, most of the records of such things were destroyed during the assault on the prison, so nothing could be proven. I was also unable to convince the elders to accept my account of Orochi's actions within the prison."

"What?"

Tetsuya paled slightly.

"It was my word against his and he is a pureblood son of the clan. The elders declined to press charges against him as well."

Ichigo sighed sadly.

"I don't get them at all," he confessed, "Because when I look at you, I only see a person who's everything a noble is supposed to be. You look like them. You follow their rules. You are powerful, but I've only ever seen you draw a sword to protect Byakuya. I would expect someone like you to be a captain."

Tetsuya shook his head gently.

"As part of the elders agreeing to accept me as Byakuya's protector, I was forced to agree to only raise my blade in his defense or to defend my life."

"What? You're kidding, ne?"

"No. Their ruling was that if I was to properly act as my cousin's protector, I must give all of my effort to that and not to glorifying myself. In essence, I traded a place in the Gotei 13 for a place close to him."

Ichigo's scowl deepened.

"But that was really just a way to keep you out of everyone's sight," he concluded.

"Yes," Tetsuya admitted, "They were concerned about other clans learning too much about me and it reflecting poorly on our clan."

"You don't reflect poorly on your clan, Tetsuya," Ichigo said irritably, "They should be proud to have someone like you in their family.

"Thank you."

The two went quiet for a moment, looking at Byakuya's opened, hazy eyes.

"It is hard to see him this way," Tetsuya said softly, "I want to do something, but there is nothing to be done but to wait."

"Then, we'll just wait together," Ichigo said, reaching over to squeeze his hand.

"You should go and take your turn lying down. You look exhausted."

"Do I?" Ichigo yawned, "All right. Just wake me up if there are any changes, okay?"

"I will," Tetsuya promised.

Ichigo rose and stretched his cramped muscles, pausing to take a few sips of the iced water that had been left for them, then lying down in the extra bed. He was surprised at how quickly he nodded off, but equally swiftly, found himself in Byakuya's inner world again. He stood, once more, in the Kuchiki Council Hall, off to one side of where Byakuya stood, dressed in a striking black and grey kimono and wearing a determined frown.

"I have come before you to announce that our cousin and the ward of Sadao's subfamily, Tetsuya, has reached manifestation and is ready to achieve bankai."

"What?" several elders exclaimed, although a number of others, while clearly not happy with the development, looked less surprised.

"You have heard at prior briefings, Sadao's reports on Tetsuya's progress. He has been fully acclimated to our ways. He is respectful of our rules. And now, he is powerful enough that he deserves a place within the clan that will make use of his unique abilities."

"And where, exactly, do you think we should place that little, half-blood mongrel?" Isas asked coldly, "Front and center, for all of the other clans to see? You know what their reactions will be! We'll be disgraced!"

"Tetsuya's ability allows him nearly perfect invisibility. I intend to take him as my personal bodyguard."

A storm of protests rose up around the room and were hushed only as Head Elder Nori pounded his gavel several times.

"Byakuya, I see from the evidence presented that Tetsuya has advanced appreciably, but you understand that, as your personal bodyguard, he will go nearly everywhere with you...to meetings of high level council, to social occasions. It will put him on display, and that is something that will invite criticism from the other clans. What plan do you have to mitigate this?"

"Tetsuya's ability makes him very difficult to see. He can attend to me quietly and I will not bring attention to him. Nothing needs to be said at all about him being there. Only we will know who exactly serves in that capacity."

"I would go a step further," Isas said, giving the heir a false smile, "I would suggest we make very sure that no one outside of the clan learns of his abilities."

"What are you suggesting?" Councilor Fumio asked.

"I think we should, for the protection of our leader, restrict knowledge of Tetsuya Kuchiki's abilities. To ensure that others do not learn enough to be a threat, we must confine Tetsuya's duties to simply acting as our leader's personal bodyguard...and nothing else."

"But you know that he would immediately earn a seat in the Gotei 13!" Byakuya objected, "You are saying that he should be held back from taking his rightful place there?"

"Well," said Councilor Sora, his blue eyes radiating sincerity, "It does, in truth, seem that to place his abilities publicly on display in a seated position could jeopardize your safety. And the demands of being in the military could well interfere in the execution of his protective duties."

"He does have a point," Nori agreed reluctantly, "I think if you are going to elevate Tetsuya within the family, that we must not allow him entrance into the military. I know it is not the answer you wish to hear from us, but it seems we are all agreed.

"I think that if you are committed, as you say, to using his unique abilities and not trying to make a public statement," said Isas, "you should accept our decision and keep that little whelp in the background, where he cannot dishonor us."

Byakuya stiffened, and his distaste for what the men were doing registered plainly on his face, but he nodded briefly and Nori's gavel came down again.

"The matter is resolved," the head elder announced, "Tetsuya Kuchiki will be elevated to the position of the heir's personal bodyguard on the understanding that information regarding his abilities will be kept secret and he will be barred from entering the military."

Byakuya escaped the room quickly, flash stepping out of the council hall and into a nearby stand of trees, where he stood fuming.

"You look pretty steamed," Ichigo said, making the noble catch his breath and look up in surprise.

"Oh...Ichigo, I barely sensed you," Byakuya said in a low, controlled tone, "My apologies."

"It's okay. I was just wondering, I mean, you convinced them to let Tetsuya be your bodyguard. That's good, right?"

"It is unprecedented," Byakuya said quietly, "Almost unheard of. But...I hadn't planned for them to take away any chance for him to take a military position. You know that he deserves to be recognized for his abilities, Ichigo. Now, the only ones who know will be Tetsuya and me, and the only place the information will be recorded is in my clan leader's diary."

"So they let you have your way in one way, but they also tried to sweep him under the rug," Ichigo concluded.

"I hate that they are like this," Byakuya whispered, his face pale and his eyes tormented, "I know we are meant to set an example for all shinigamis and that we are meant to be elevated because of our place as the soul king's privileged servants, but...when I look at Tetsuya, I only see how he honors that. He never tries to act out or to be defiant."

"No," Ichigo said affectionately, sliding an arm around Byakuya's shoulders, "You seem like the one doing the defying here."

"I don't mean to. I told you that I want to obey our laws. But I don't believe that being given a higher place in society means that we should look down on those who are not like us. How does that set an example, Ichigo? And should we just waste the abilities and talents of people like Tetsuya, who, though not pureblooded, are talented and devoted to the family? It makes me angry...sick inside. I don't know what to do."

He looked up at Ichigo and shook his head.

"But what does it matter? Tetsuya will be pleased. He doesn't really want to be a seated officer. I suppose that was my pride about his ability that made me so angry about that. Ah, but there isn't even time to think about all of this," the Kuchiki heir sighed.

"Oh?"

"My fighting unit has been assigned to go to Inuzuri for a month."

"So, you'll get away from all of this for a while, ne? That's got to be a relief."

"Maybe for the time being, but things are going to change upon my return."

"Huh? Why is that?"

Byakuya gave a deeper sigh and his eyes darkened and turned stormy.

"The elders have chosen a bride for me," he said unhappily, "When I come home, they will be officially announcing our engagement."


	8. Inuzuri

**Chapter 8: Inuzuri**

**(Thanks to IchiGrimm (Guess what? Your timing is great! Here you go.), Arelia22 (Things will intensify between the two as Byakuya reaches a critical point in his memory. After that, someone just has to make the first move. :) lol), Parnita (Yup, Hisana will come into the story and Ichigo will get a look at just how reckless Byakuya can be...), Tomyallen (I love** **writing about Byakuya's past. There's so much to play with there! Can't wait to share my take on it.), Emmagem803 (Oh yes, there will be some shocks for the elders...almost feel sorry for them...almost!), Blood87 (And here it is!), No Name (Ah, the reason for Ichigo's fading will come out gradually and it will lead to a new phase in the story, one that has both men doing some real thinking!), NamineLily (There will be fireworks soon. That is a guarantee!), ** **charmander77** **(I like a slow burn romance too. This one will be slow and sweet as it develops and takes our two lovers by surprise!), ctofi1 (Je suis heureux que vous appréciez l'histoire!), **

Ginrei heard his vice captain's chair move and looked up from the report he was writing. Byakuya rose and lifted Senbonzakura out of the sword stand on the wall behind his desk, then turned back to face his grandfather.

"Ah, you are ready to go then?" Ginrei inquired.

"Yes," Byakuya answered quietly, "This week's reports are completed and only need your signature. Home, living world and Hueco Mundo assignments for the next month are completed and posted. I spoke to the officers involved in yesterday's incident with the eleventh..."

"Ah, yes, always scuffling with them, aren't we?"

"So it seems," Byakuya replied wearily, "My team is waiting outside. We finished preparations last night."

"I imagine this is goodbye, then," Ginrei said, nodding, "for a while."

"For a while," Byakuya agreed, pausing as he noted the unhappy glint in his grandfather's eyes.

"Byakuya," Ginrei said, moving forward and laying his hands on his vice captain's shoulders, "Do be cautious. I do not doubt your abilities in any way. I know you are more than capable, but..."

Byakuya could almost feel the ghost of his late father rise up between them.

"I understand," he answered solemnly, "I will be careful, of course."

"The lower Rukongai is a dangerous place, as you well know. And the danger can come as much from the residents as from hollows. There have been troubling reports of increased numbers of attacks as of late, which is why the captain commander is sending you and your team. Assess the situation and report back as soon as you can. I will confer with the other captains about what you find and send reinforcements if you need them."

"Yes, sir."

Byakuya started to turn away, then felt Ginrei's hand touch his shoulder again. He turned back and met his grandfather's eyes questioningly.

"I noticed that Orochi will be accompanying you."

"Yes. His rank and abilities match the nature of the mission and I saw no reason to exclude him."

Ginrei bit his lip gently.

"Yes, yes, I suppose not. However...he has never quite forgiven you for pressing Tetsuya's right to testify before the elders and I do not like you having any more things to divide your attention."

Byakuya gave him a sly smile.

"Do not worry about Orochi. He would not dare try anything while still officially on probation for misconduct in the Itamigiri affair. Even though he escaped any real punishment, there is that."

"Yes, but it is a fine line to walk," Ginrei reminded him, "Still, you are approaching the age of ascendance and will soon become our leader. You will face these kinds of things and need to have experience handling them."

"Agreed."

"So, that is it, then," Ginrei said, closing the distance between them and embracing his heir for a moment, "Goodbye. See that you do honor to our family."

"I will."

Byakuya turned away and exited the building with Ichigo a silent ghost at his side. Ichigo followed as he turned into the gathering area outside and found a group of men waiting for him.

"Vice captain, everything is in order and we have our clearance to exit through the west gates," Orochi reported.

"Thank you, Officer Kuchiki," Byakuya answered the third seat.

He nodded in the direction of the others.

"Come."

Ichigo remained near Byakuya, keeping an eye on Orochi's position to make sure the troublesome cousin wouldn't notice anything of his interactions with the Kuchiki heir.

"Are you sure bringing him was a good idea?" he asked Byakuya, "I know exactly how much that guy hates you."

"Yes," Byakuya answered, keeping his head tilted forward to hide the fact he was speaking to what appeared to be only air, "But sometimes it is better to have your enemy within your sights and not moving freely while you are absent."

"Oh, so you thought he'd cause trouble at home?" the Shiba heir asked.

"I never leave him behind because it would leave Tetsuya unprotected. I have to be very careful."

"Yeah, well maybe he'll get eaten by a hollow or something and not be so much of a problem."

"I cannot allow that either."

"Why not?" Ichigo asked, frowning.

"Relations between the main family and Isas's subfamily are always a concern. They are powerful and well respected."

"I don't know why, the way they act..."

"They are more in line with the thinking of the rest of the Noble's General Council than my grandfather and me and we don't want to give any sign of internal discord to other noble clans," Byakuya explained, "This requires a great deal of diplomacy."

"Yeah, I'm learning..." Ichigo sighed, "What a pain in the ass. But I'll watch him for you."

"Not necessary," Byakuya said, arching an eyebrow, "I have him exactly where I want him."

"If you say so," Ichigo chuckled, "Personally, I'd rather see him at the bottom of a very large pit. But, you're the one in charge."

"How good of you to remember," Byakuya said sedately.

"Hey!" Ichigo objected.

"Be quiet. You'll distract me."

"Huh..." Ichigo huffed indignantly.

The group passed through the gates and headed out into the Rukongai, halting only once in the mid-Rukon to eat and rest. They resumed their journey quickly, hastening as they left the more habitable and friendly regions and reaching the West 78th district just before sunset.

"I've never been to the lower Rukongai," Ichigo commented as they entered Inuzuri.

His eye scanned the dank, dirty streets, clusters of dilapidated buildings and the scattered odds and ends of young and old men, dressed in ragged clothes and eyeing the Gotei forces with mistrustful eyes.

"Ruk...erm, some people I know who came from there told me how awful it was," the Shiba heir continued, "Where are the women and children?"

"Either locked up in what dwellings there are and guarded or carefully hiding," Byakuya said in a low, unhappy voice, "They know better than to show themselves after dark."

They passed a few slightly nicer looking buildings where a number of scantily clad women looked down from balconies carefully under the eye of more than a few rough looking male guards.

"You boys need some rest and relaxation?" one of the women called to them.

Byakuya looked straight ahead and said nothing. Out of the corner of his eye, Ichigo saw Orochi exchange suggestive glances with one of the women.

"Ugh..." he muttered, "I thought he was into guys."

"Orochi's sexual appetite extends to both males and females," Byakuya said beneath his breath, "And so does his cruelty. He will slip away during the night, but he will be watched."

"You can't just stop him?"

"I have to choose my battles. If I call attention to his illicit activities, it will dishonor our clan."

"That sucks..."

"Yes. On the other hand, if he becomes reckless, I must intervene, but do so without attracting attention. I assure you that there is as much to diplomacy as there is to walking a tightrope."

"Man, I guess there is," Ichigo said appreciatively, "Kinda makes me feel bad for all the times I thought you were just being stuffy."

"Let me reassure you as well that if I am _stuffy_, there is good reason."

"Yeah," the Shiba heir chuckled, "I'm starting to see that."

Ichigo turned his eyes to the odds and ends of men, huddling in dark corners near the buildings, a few burning bits of wood and braided long grass to escape the rising chill of coming nightfall. A twinge of sympathy assaulted his insides as his sharp eyes picked out occasional small clusters of children, watching from the shadows with hollow looking eyes.

"Byakuya..."

"We are deeply protected in the Seireitei," the Kuchiki heir said very softly, "Laws and rules, people to enforce them...and a sense of civility prevail there. Here, there are no such reassurances. With no structure to build upon, despair leads many to take their frustrations out on those around them. The result is chaos...lawlessness, callousness, moral oblivion. Humanity is reduced to an ugly fight to survive...and those least able to care for themselves are often lost."

He paused, breathing in the unpleasant scents in the air and shivering at the advancing cold.

"I think I understand why I was sent here."

Ichigo looked at him questioningly.

"When the Noble's General Council decrees that we must be a model to all people, this is what they mean. It is not enough to conduct ourselves as lawful people. We must put our strength to bringing peace through both example and through battle. But Ichigo, I look at this place and I must wonder...what can I do?"

"What can anyone do?" Ichigo agreed, looking sadly at the devastated environs, "It's awful, yeah. But it took more than one person to make it like this. It'll take a lot of people to fix it...if it can be fixed."

"When I was younger and more naive, I used to think it was as simple as providing food, shelter or whatever these people needed. It was a natural, but simplistic view that my father cured me of by bringing me here and showing by example. I watched as a kind Samaritan handed out food and clothing that had been donated, then observed how individuals and groups would only wait until the giver was out of sight and congratulating himself for his generosity before degenerating into thievery and even murder to take what had been given. Desperation to survive, lack of respect for others and a lack of adherence to a proper set of rules swiftly undid what good was done. Unless the point was to let the most lawless and ruthless survive, the effort was a failure. Instead, my father suggested something different. I will show you."

Byakuya turned to face his group.

"Set up our camp over there and post a watch. I will reconnoiter and return shortly."

He left the group and led Ichigo to an area near the end of the town, where a small, plain looking building had been erected and an area fenced off to make a little, grassy yard. Several young trees grew along the fence line and several rows of vegetables and fruits rose up out of the ground.

"What is this place?" Ichigo mused, watching as an old man emerged from the building and approached the fence.

"Greetings Master Kuchiki," the man greeted Byakuya respectfully, "It is good to see you."

"It is good to see you as well, Tsuneo," Byakuya said cordially, " I have been sent to watch over the town for the next month and would be willing to offer my time in the mornings before rounds."

The old man's smile warmed.

"That would be wonderful!" he answered enthusiastically, "We have just prepared an area that would be perfect. Can you come tomorrow?"

"Very well. I will arrive around eight-thirty and I will have materials sent from Kuchiki Manor for use while I am here."

"The children will be so pleased. They learned so much when you were last here and tested them for kido ability. If you don't mind, I have a few new ones to test."

"Of course. I will see to it in the morning."

"I also have a young woman who is volunteering as a sort of guidance counselor. She is a resident here and has no formal education, so I am instructing her as payment for her assistance, as well as providing her with a small amount of money. Her name is Hisana. She is very good at helping the children to bring some structure to their groups. She has been ill the past week, but she should be returning tomorrow."

"I look forward to meeting her," Byakuya replied.

Ichigo watched silently as the two chatted briefly, then parted ways.

"So, there's a school?" he asked, once he and Byakuya were alone again.

"Yes. My father and I built the building with help from Tsuneo and a few people from the town who knew how to construct it using what we could gather here. It and the grounds are protected by a kido barrier that the children with kido ability maintain to prevent break ins and theft. The children who attend are given meals made from what they raise here, either by growing it or collecting it from the few animals within. Tsuneo instructs them in reading and writing as well as kido for those showing the ability and survival skills for all. Apparently, there is now a counselor who assists groups of children in taking care of each other and meeting their needs outside of the school."

"Huh," Ichigo said, a smile rising on his lips, "So, instead of solving their problems with some money or a few things, you teach them to survive."

"And how to create groups that operate upon rules and values that will bring more stability to the area as they grow up. One of the graduates has gone on to open a shelter for adults in town. The ones who stay are given a cot to sleep on and meals in exchange for adhering to the rules of the facility and volunteering time to care for the building and grounds. Children attend the school as their part of the payment. It was a struggle at the beginning, but now it is self sustaining. The school is still small, but it is growing as families move into the shelter. It won't solve all of the problems here, but it is a beginning."

"That's really great, Byakuya," Ichigo said appreciatively, "I had no idea you were involved in any of this."

He started to say more, but went quiet as a young, dark haired woman in poor clothes approached them.

"Begging your pardon, Master Kuchiki," she said, bowing, "Tsuneo told me that you had been to see him. I wanted to introduce myself."

Byakuya regarded her quietly and nodded briefly.

"You are Hisana?"

"Yes, sir. I counsel children at the school several times a week to help them bring order and survival skills to their groups."

"So I was told."

"I wanted to inform you that there is a gathering to celebrate the winter solstice. We will be meeting in the town square. Several vendors have been paid to provide soup, bread and tea for all and there will be games for the children and dancing. Tsuneo and I thought that if you have time, you might meet some of our students there in a relaxed setting."

Byakuya nodded again in acceptance.

"As you wish. I will come after I have checked in with my group."

Very well, sir," Hisana said, bowing in parting, "Good evening."

"Good evening, Lady Hisana," Byakuya answered politely.

"Going slumming, Cousin?" a sharp male voice said as the young woman walked away, "You really should be careful. The council is already in fits over your elevation of that half-blood. I think they might have you assassinated if you disgraced yourself so soon before your wedding."

"Why are you here?" Byakuya asked tersely, "You were told to oversee the making of the encampment."

"The camp is ready. I came to update you. There was an attack on the town earlier today and twenty or so were slaughtered. They were more powerful than your average hollow scum. I thought you'd want to know."

"Yes," Byakuya said, frowning as he glanced in the direction that Hisana had gone, "There is a cultural gathering in the town square shortly. I will be attending to watch over things and keep order. Set perimeter guards and be on watch for any hollow or soul that constitutes a problem. And Orochi..."

"Hmmm?" the heir's cousin huffed softly.

"You should stay close to the group tonight. With the merriment, there will be more people about."

Orochi scowled.

"You should be more worried about your own activities tainting our clan," he replied shortly, turning and flash stepping away.

"Man, that guy's an asshole," Ichigo complained.

Byakuya sighed.

"He is a threat in many ways," he admitted softly, his breath misting on the chill air, "But I know better than to take my eye off of him for a moment."

"Yeah? That's good. I wouldn't trust that jerk as far as I could throw him."

"Neither do I," Byakuya assured him, stepping onto the road and heading back towards the center of town.


	9. The Dance

**Chapter 9: The Dance**

**(Just to make a clarification about this story. This one will remain 'T' rated and will not feature an mpreg, although the possibility of mpreg will be discussed as part of the setup for a sequel to this story. Just didn't want to surprise anyone with the mention of it in this chapter. It won't be important within this story, but will in the second. :) Anyway, enjoy the chapter!)**

"You look really nice," Ichigo commented, admiring the more simple but charming earth toned kimono Byakuya had donned for the solstice celebration and the high ponytail he wore, "I don't think I've ever seen you in anything but your Gotei uniform or in a hospital yukata when you were injured. This is...beautiful in a whole different way."

He felt a twinge inside at the blush the words brought to Byakuya's pale face and throat.

"It is appropriate," he said simply, "There is no reason to accentuate our differences. We are all meeting in celebration of the change of seasons."

"Right. I wish I could be a part of it," the Shiba heir sighed, looking longingly into the town square, where vendors were boiling hot soup and water for tea, while others laid out small loaves of freshly made bread, "It sucks not being able to touch any of it."

"You can touch me," Byakuya said, giving him a warm, rare smile and extending a hand, "I will show you the traditional dance for the celebration."

"Really?" Ichigo said, surprise bringing a flush to his face as well, "W-well, you did promise to teach me to dance traditionally...where I come from."

"Then, I shall keep my promise," Byakuya said pleasantly, "I am, after all, a man of my word."

"Yeah," the Shiba heir agreed, his heart flickering in his chest as Byakuya's hand slipped into his and the two took their positions.

"I think that the most important thing is to maintain eye contact," the Kuchiki heir instructed him, When we are connected, we read each other's body language, so we are better at maintaining proper spacing and coordination."

"Okay, but what about music?"

As if in answer, a group of musicians in the square began to play a warm up song.

"Be sure to maintain proper spacing," Byakuya instructed him, setting himself at the prescribed distance, "And since I am leading, you will feel the shift in my body and move accordingly. I will show you a waltz, one of the most common ballroom dances. The steps move in groups of three...one longer and two more abbreviated, like this..."

Byakuya moved forward slowly, coaxing Ichigo along with him, then turned them slightly, before repeating the same pattern, just moving in different directions. Ichigo felt awkward and slow at first, barely keeping time with the music. But after a few intervals, his mind seemed to register the patterns of movement and his feet stepped with more confidence.

"Well done," Byakuya complimented him, "While this may not be your type of dancing, you have some amount of natural ability. You move gracefully, and with good timing."

"That's not what you said when we first met," Ichigo chuckled.

"Wh-when..." Byakuya began, frowning.

"I meant before," Ichigo explained, "Don't worry about it. You're right about this not being the kind of dancing I do normally. I do club dancing. It's faster and we don't have so much distance between us."

He pulled the surprised Kuchiki heir closer and Byakuya blushed at the way their bodies seemed to touch all over. He struggled to think of something to say, but couldn't find any words. Noting his discomfort, Ichigo loosened his hold, allowing Byakuya to return to a more appropriate distance. The Kuchiki heir paused, gazing at him quietly.

"What is it?" Ichigo asked softly, "Did I offend you? Sorry."

"You didn't offend me," the noble said solemnly, "But you've made me curious, Ichigo. I am sure I shouldn't ask, and maybe you shouldn't answer me, but...is there something more than friendship between us...in this future you come from?"

Ichigo stopped them and remained still, looking down into Byakuya's wondering eyes and struggling with himself about how to answer. Byakuya read his expression and started to speak, then paused as the sound of a woman in distress reached them.

"Please leave me alone!" the woman cried, "I'm not one of them. Let go of me, please!"

Byakuya frowned and glared, recognizing the voice instantly.

"Hisana?" he mused, turning away from Ichigo and honing in on the sound.

"You are not one of _them_?" a man's haughty voice asked sarcastically, "You _look_ like one of them. You certainly know the smell of money. I saw you talking to my cousin earlier, you filth!"

"W-was I?" the woman asked, backing away, then pulling at the wrist he held, "I didn't mean anything by it! I would never...!"

The man turned and forced the young woman up against the wall of the dilapidated building they stood next to, making her cry out.

"Stop! You're hurting me!"

The man used his body to trap hers against the wall and ran his fingers through her hair, sniffing the ends and giving her a sly, disapproving look.

"You look thin and hungry," he commented, "but you aren't completely repulsive. I'll tell you what. You do it with me here and now and I will give you enough money to..."

The man made a guttural sound of pain as the woman's knee connected with his groin, and he growled in fury and grabbed at her hair as she broke away.

"You little slut! How dare you!" the man hissed, yanking her head back so that she stumbled and started to fall, "I'll see you don't go thinking you can defy me again!"

He closed in on her collapsed form, drawing back a foot and swinging it hard in her direction. At the last moment, a flash step sounded and Byakuya appeared between the two, capturing the man's swinging foot and glaring at him.

"Orochi," he said sternly, "I heard this woman tell you to leave her alone. She is obviously not who you thought, so you will not lay hands on her again."

He released his cousin's foot and reached down to help Hisana to her feet.

"What are you talking about?" Orochi snapped, "Look at her! She is trying to attract attention to herself."

"She is dressed appropriately for the celebration. You will leave her alone and not trouble her again or you will answer to me."

Orochi glared back at him icily, but said nothing more. He stalked away angrily, leaving Byakuya, Hisana and a watchful Ichigo behind.

"Are you all right?" Byakuya asked the woman quietly, looking down into her large violet eyes, "He didn't hurt you?"

"No, no, he...I am just bruised. It's fine, Lord Kuchiki. I'm fine."

"You handled yourself quite well under the circumstances," Byakuya complimented her, "Not many can catch my cousin by surprise, even once. But I suppose self defense skills are quite necessary here for a young woman."

Hisana bent to retrieve a flower that had fallen from her hair, but Byakuya reached it first and set it carefully back in place for her.

"I apologize for Orochi's rude behavior," he went on, "He had no right to treat you with disrespect, Lady Hisana. I will make sure that he does not do so again."

"Oh, I'm okay," Hisana said, blushing and brushing the dust off of her yukata, "just shaken up a little."

"If you are all right, may I accompany you to the festival?" Byakuya asked.

"You don't have to do that, Lord Kuchiki," the young woman assured him in a flustered tone, "I am sure you..."

"We are going to be working together for a time at the school," Byakuya reminded her, "It would be good to get to know one another better. And you did say that some of the students would be there. I won't know who they are on my own. I haven't been to Inuzuri for a while."

"Oh, right, eh, sorry. Of course I'll go with you. I wasn't trying to be rude."

"You weren't. Come, Lady Hisana, they are starting."

Ichigo followed the two to the town center, enjoying the festive music and the unusual cheerfulness of the town's inhabitants. And despite the fact of him dancing with another person, Ichigo thought, Byakuya was beautiful almost smiling, turning and extending a hand to take Hisana's, guiding her gently, then loosing her into a turn. He remembered again the pleasant feeling of those slender, cool hands touching him, those dark, lovely grey eyes meeting his. Ichigo shook his head to clear his mind and in that instance, the scene before him erupted into chaos.

Above the gathering, the sky tore open all at once, and a sea of hollows descended on the revelers beneath.

"Holy hell!" Ichigo cried, a sick feeling inside at knowing he could do nothing to help, "Byakuya!"

The Kuchiki heir reacted instantly, sending Hisana to gather the children and get them under cover. His zanpakutou appeared in his hand and he loosed a flare of kido that roared across the central square over the heads of the retreating residents, then slammed into the wave of screeching, bony bodies that rained down from overhead. Other men from the noble's group appeared within moments and some moved to join Byakuya in the battle, while others provided cover for the fleeing townspeople.

"Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi!" Byakuya cried, sending a blast of spinning pink petal blades upward, then wrapping it around a large group of hollows.

With a wave of his hands, he slashed twenty or so, killing them instantly as Kido spells cracked in the air around them and sword and claw crashed against each other. More petal blades slashed the attacking hollows, destroying large numbers at a time until the enemy was pushed back.

"Byakuya!" Hisana screamed suddenly, drawing the noble's attention to a group of children she was shielding as a large, toothy hollow closed in on them.

She brandished a large knife she had found near an overturned table and backed away, dancing aside and slashing at the creature as it lunged at her. The knife caught the hollow's eye, making it screech more furiously and strike out blindly. A flailing limb caught the young woman across the temple and cheek, sending her crashing into a wooden wall, where she collapsed amidst the group of sobbing younglings.

Byakuya appeared in a scathing flash step and placed himself between the hollow and his prey, frowning as the beast captured a handful of the purplish blood that leaked from his chest and flicked it in the noble's direction. A blast of petals didn't quite stop the blood from reaching him and he felt immediately a strange dizziness that affected his senses. He staggered to the side and dropped to one knee, panting softly, but managing a kido blast that sent the attacking hollow into oblivion.

"Lord Kuchiki!" cried Hisana, staggering slightly as she ran to his side.

"Are you and the children all right, Lady Hisana?" Byakuya asked, looking around, frowning and blinking as the others from his group finished off the last of the hollows and the central square went quiet.

"Yes, we are all fine, Lord Kuchiki," she assured him.

Ichigo felt a sweet twinge inside as Byakuya smiled approvingly.

"I am glad."

"But are you okay?" Hisana asked worriedly, "You look very pale, sir."

"I will be fine."

He looked around the area at the tumbled vendor's carts, tables, chairs and still steaming food.

"This is a shame. So many who are in need were to be fed tonight."

He thought for a moment, then climbed to his feet and approached the vendors.

"Can anything be salvaged?" he asked, observing the mess around them.

"I'm sorry, Lord Kuchiki," one of the vendors sighed, watching as two others righted his fallen cart, "We can distribute what is salvageable, but we have to go back to our suppliers in the mid Rukongai to restock before we can offer anything more."

"Yes, yes of course," Byakuya agreed, frowning, "However, when you return, I want you to provide the townspeople with what they would have had tonight. The Kuchiki family will pay for everything, just...make sure that they are taken care of. Many depend on this festival to help with their survival. There are not many opportunities for them to have proper food and care."

"I understand, Lord Kuchiki," the vendor said, accepting a small token from the noble, "We'll see it's done, sir."

"Thank you."

Ichigo followed as Byakuya returned to Hisana.

"May I escort you to your home, Lady Hisana?" he offered.

"Thank you," Hisana said gratefully.

Byakuya remained at her side as they walked towards the end of town.

"Are you really sure that creature didn't hurt you somehow?" the young woman asked, "You still look unsteady."

"Do not worry about me. I will see our healer after I take you home," the noble assured her.

The two walked past the end of the street and out into a small field, where several hovels had been made from debris from around the town. Hisana indicated one in the far corner of the field and moved towards it.

"I have learned to grow some little things," Hisana told him, "There are a few things I can eat and some herbs that I sell to the vendors in town. It isn't much, but it does mean survival. I am very grateful to Tsuneo for giving me a job. I should be able to afford something better soon. I would like to move to a friendlier district if I can."

She started to enter the small dwelling, then looked back at Byakuya questioningly.

"Would you like some herbal tea, Lord Byakuya?"

"My apologies," the noble said kindly, "I need to report back to my group to make sure the area has been cleared of hollows."

"Very well, I will see you tomorrow, then."

"Good evening, Lady Hisana," Byakuya said, inclining his head.

"Good evening."

She bit her lip gently, watching his still slightly unsteady gait as he walked away.

"I don't know," she said softly, "Perhaps..."

She thought for a moment longer, then ducked into her house to retrieve a tattered cloak. She followed the path Byakuya had taken, keeping carefully to the brush as she walked. Just short of town, she heard a male voice and some rustling ahead of her. She crept forward cautiously, her heart pounding as two men came into view. Byakuya laid on his back on the ground, stripped of his clothing and looking as though something dark restrained his hands over his head and around the roots of a partially collapsed tree.

"You picked a very bad place to let your guard down," his aggressor's voice growled, the wind rising and making it hard to judge if she knew the person.

She peered through the brush, but couldn't make out the man's identity. Her breath caught as she spotted blood leaking from a wound on Byakuya's head. His attacker gave a low chuckle and leaned over the noble.

"You've always thought you were so high and mighty, haven't you? Everyone's little favorite, especially Lord Ginrei's. Everyone knew that your father was a weakling who didn't deserve to be heir! Leadership should have been passed to my father, not yours! But they'll see now, won't they?"

Ichigo burst out of the brush, unseen and unheard by Hisana and Byakuya's attacker, but calling frantically to the Kuchiki heir and trying to stir him.

"C'mon, Byakuya, get up!" he pleaded, "I can't help you. You have to wake up!"

"You had many chances to make things right. You could have admitted that I deserved lordship of the clan. And when my father offered me, yours could have let us marry and lead together...but that wasn't good enough for you, was it? You don't like to share the spotlight. Well, now you're going to be disgraced and whether you like it or not, my family will merge with yours...and when you die, I will lead."

Hisana gasped in dismay, realizing suddenly that the 'ropes' around Byakuya's slender wrists were actually live snakes, and that another was winding it's way around his collapsed body.

"What can I do?" she whispered desperately, looking around, "His men are in town. I don't trust the ones out here...!"

Another large snake slithered out from the attacker's hand and raised itself, then focused red, glowing eyes on the restrained noble.

"I am going to have something to remember this by," the man said, positioning himself over Byakuya as Ichigo called to the semi-conscious heir and Hisana spotted a large piece of broken tree limb and took it into her hand. She crept up behind the man as he crouched over his naked cousin, working to free his alert privates.

"I know Tetsuya is not the only one in this family with a breeder ability. You have it as well, something your father and Ginrei hid from everyone, but it couldn't be kept secret forever. I know, and I plan to make sure you give me the keys to leadership of the clan and then die, you useless weakling!"

Another snake emerged from his hand and slithered onto Byakuya's slim belly, coiling and riveting it's evil glare on one vulnerable, pale arm.

"This snake's venom won't kill you right away, but slowly," he said, smirking, "I'll make sure you have time to give me what I want and then..."

He sensed suddenly that someone was behind him and turned swiftly, taking a glancing blow to the head as Hisana loosed a howl of determination and swung the club at him. She screamed as she recognized the man and his lips curved into a cruel sneer.

"Well, look who it is!" he sneered, "The little whore come to save the day?"

"You bastard!" screamed Ichigo, dropping to his knees at Byakuya's side, "Byakuya, come on! Wake up!"

"Don't touch him again!" Hisana cried, her voice shaking, "I know who you are!"

"You know who I am," Orochi repeated mockingly, cornering her and tearing the makeshift club from her hand.

Hisana felt an odd stinging on her leg and gasped at the sight of the small snake that had been about to strike Byakuya. Off to the side, Byakuya raised himself sluggishly, struggling to escape the slithering bonds that held him.

"Wh-what...?"

Orochi's laugh sent shards of ice through Hisana's veins as she stared down at the deceptively small wound.

"You are finished," Orochi said in a cold, detached tone, "That venom was meant for him, but it's fitting it will teach you your place. Within a few hours, there will be no sign of a wound and you will not remember that it struck you. You will die slowly. It will take a while, but you will suffer horribly. There is nothing that you can do. And if you tell anyone, you won't be believed. Who is going to believe you? Byakuya won't know what happened here, and I have a very good story to tell everyone."

Raised voices and the shuffle of running feet sounded nearby and Orochi scowled in the direction of the sounds. He extended a hand and the bonds on Byakuya vanished instantly. Hisana collapsed suddenly at his feet and a smile crept across Orochi's face. He took the club and touched it to the blood on Byakuya's face, then placed it in the unconscious woman's hand. Then, he produced the clothes he had taken from his cousin and stuffed them under her. He melted into the brush as the people he had heard burst into the clearing.

"Lord Byakuya!" cried one of the men, flash stepping to the naked heir's curled form, "He's been hurt! Take care of that wound on his head.

"Sir, there's a woman over here," said a second shinigami, "And...she's carrying a club."

The officer at Byakuya's side looked from the fallen woman to the wound on Byakuya's head.

"Bring her along," he ordered his subordinate, "We'll need to heal and question her about this. Someone was up to no good. We need to see if she was robbing him."

"I think she was, sir. Look, his clothes!"

"Very well, then bind her hands. We'll get to the bottom of this later. For now, put his clothes back on him and let's go and make sure he's okay."

"Yes sir!"

"Rotten thieves..." the officer muttered, looking up as Orochi appeared nearby, "Ah, third seat Kuchiki, we found Lord Byakuya collapsed here. It seems this woman tried to rob him. She hit him with that club and stole clothing and money he was carrying."

"I see," Orochi said sternly, "Then, bring them back to the camp and we'll deal with her there."

"Hai!"

Ichigo scowled as a slow, devilish smile crept across Orochi's handsome face.

_Man, I knew that guy was a creep, but this is awful!_


	10. Promises

**Chapter 10: Promises**

**(Thanks to Parnita (I agree I like a spirited Hisana, who was strong enough to survive in Inuzuri and not just a mouse. She might have been weakened by disease and neglect, but that doesn't mean she was weak. If Rukia is any indication, Hisana was probably fiery when she needed to be. She wasn't powerful, but she was a survivor. I also like to play out the affection and friendship between Byakuya and her. Some people don't like her character, and it may be because we only got snippets of her while she was already ill and dying. I prefer a more Rukia-like representation of her. That is, after all, why seeing Rukia is so painful to Byakuya early on, because she reminds him of Hisana, maybe more than just because of her looks.), Picklez80 (Will do!), ShariBerry89 (Here's some more to feed your curiosity!), Winterheart2000 (Oh, Orochi will face some wrath, in this chapter and before the end of the story...and yes, I will put Prince in a Glass House on the update list!), and TehWonderer (It will be a while before they get to dance together again, due to Byakuya's injury, but they will!). Enjoy the chapter! Love, Spunky)**

"Lord Byakuya, please sir, you are still healing. You must return to your bed, sir!"

The young male healer looked on in dismay as the noble ignored him and remained at the side of the injured Rukongai girl, looking down at her through distressed eyes and holding her limp hand. Ichigo knelt alongside him, studying him quietly as he watched over Hisana. The healer continued his pleadings for several minutes, then shook his head in resignation and left the tent.

"This wasn't your fault. You have to know that," Ichigo reasoned with him.

"What I know is that Orochi has wanted leadership all along," Byakuya said bitterly, "I just didn't think he would stoop to attacking me directly."

"He saw you were injured by that strange hollow's blood and he figured he could overcome you."

"Why did she have to protect me?" the Kuchiki heir whispered, closing his eyes in torment, "Her systems are already delicate from living such a hard life. And that poison has weakened her. And because I was not fully conscious, it is her word against his about what exactly happened. Most of the men still think she was trying to rob me. This woman would never have done such a thing. And because she protected me, her freedom, her reputation, and her health are all the price. Ichigo..."

"You can't blame yourself for this," Ichigo said, shaking his head firmly, "Byakuya, it's not your fault."

"But it is. I was arrogant, thinking that I was in control of the situation. My grandfather questioned the wisdom of bringing Orochi here. I should have listened to him."

"Well, that may or may not have been a mistake," Ichigo argued, "but what's done is done. And you heard the healers. She will recover."

"She will recover, yes," Byakuya repeated, choking on the words, "but her systems are weaker and she will continue to be susceptible to illness. She cannot possibly get the care that she needs here, Ichigo. Hisana needs..."

Byakuya went silent as the tent door was pulled back and Orochi entered. His infuriated grey eyes met Orochi's colder, indignant black ones and the reiatsu rose viciously between the two as Byakuya surged to his feet and attacked.

"Byakuya!" Ichigo gasped, watching in disbelief as the noble threw himself against his cousin, kido exploding from his hands and sending Orochi tumbling away.

"What are you doing? Have you lost your mind?" Orochi demanded, recovering himself quickly and raising a protective barrier as Byakuya attacked again.

"You miserable bastard!" the heir screamed, "You only did this to get to me and damned be anyone who might be hurt by it! You think you are above the law? That you don't have to answer to anyone? By kami, you'll damned well answer to me!"

Orochi's eyes widened and he reeled at the impact as Byakuya's lithe body slammed into his, taking him to the ground again. The heir's hands wrapped around his throat and Byakuya's enraged eyes engaged his as the slender fingers began to tighten. The voices of their comrades rose up sharply in protest and Ichigo ran to Byakuya's side.

"Byakuya!" he cried, frustrated as he reached out but found himself unable to make physical contact even with the unhinged heir.

"You want my place in the family?" Byakuya hissed, his dark eyes wilder and more frightening than Ichigo had ever seen them, "Then, if you want it so badly, try to take it from me now, Cousin!"

"ENOUGH!" snapped a stern voice that made Byakuya stiffen in surprise, "Byakuya, release him!"

With an effort, the heir loosed his clenched fingers from his cousin's bruised throat and Byakuya came to his feet as Orochi scrambled away from him, holding the injured area and coughing in recovery.

"He's crazy!" Orochi insisted, choking on the words, "Delusional!

"You and I both know that attack that weakened Hisana was meant for me!" Byakuya shouted.

"That's ridiculous!" Orochi fired back, "The little tramp hit you over the head and tried to rob you! You were just so infatuated that you refused to see her for what she really is...Rukon garbage!"

"How dare you speak about her that way!"

"STOP IT! BOTH OF YOU!" Ginrei roared.

He turned his head and caught the eyes of a group of officers.

"Jun, Ken, you will escort Orochi back to the Seireitei and place him in the sixth division jail until further notice."

"You can't believe a word he's saying!" Orochi pleaded, "He's out of his mind!"

"Go!" Ginrei said sternly, turning back to face his grandson, "Byakuya, come with me."

His chest still heaving with emotion and exertion, the heir followed him into another tent, where one of their subordinates provided the two with tea, then bowed and left them alone. Ginrei sipped at his tea, watching as Byakuya's breathing gradually slowed and the sense came back into his dark eyes.

"I am...sorry, Grandfather," Byakuya said finally, taking a sip of his tea, "I don't know what came over me."

"How is that injury you received?" Ginrei asked, leaning forward to study the bandage that still covered the area.

"I am fine, really," Byakuya assured him, "I wasn't hurt badly...not as badly as Hisana was."

"Yes, I have heard about this girl."

"She is a counselor at the school," Byakuya explained, "We attended the solstice celebration together so that she could introduce me to some of the newer children, as I hadn't been about for some time. But there was a hollow attack that distracted us. After, I walked her back to her home and left her there. I was attacked while returning to the camp. It seems that some blood that a hollow splashed me with during the fighting disrupted my coordination and senses. I never knew my attacker was approaching. And if Hisana had not followed me and interrupted, I would have been finished."

"But you do not believe that it was this woman, who you only met today, trying to rob you?"

"Grandfather, I admit that I only met Hisana today, but even so, I know that she would never, ever do something like that. It isn't in her nature."

"But you think it is in Orochi's nature?" Ginrei asked quietly, "I know that you two have long been at odds and that Orochi is bitter over Soujun being chosen as heir over Orochi's father, Isas before you. It didn't help that Soujun refused when Isas offered for Orochi to take your hand in marriage, but my son saw something in that boy that unnerved him. He never trusted Isas or Orochi."

"Grandfather," Byakuya said softly, "I am...sorry for not listening to you. I should not have brought Orochi here. I was only thinking of protecting Tetsuya, who is vulnerable to him. I had no idea he would do something like this."

"We must proceed carefully," Ginrei warned the younger man, "With no concrete evidence, only the statement of the peasant girl, Hisana, the elders will not convict Orochi. You know this. It is likely why you acted so rashly just now."

"Again, I am sorry," Byakuya apologized, "I was just so angry."

"My boy, you are going to have to be very careful. The elders are already skeptical about you, and when word of this situation and your actions reaches them, things will get worse. You must try to appease them. If you are not careful, Isas will convince enough of them that you are unsuitable as heir and you will lose your title. I could not bear to see that happen."

"I know," Byakuya whispered, "I just...cannot bear the fact of what he did to her...what he was trying to do to me."

"They did say the girl will recover," Ginrei said soothingly.

"She will never be the same. And left here, what chance does she have? She will die, Grandfather, and her blood will be on my hands."

"We could move her to a care facility in the upper Rukongai," Ginrei offered, "Other than that, we have few options. Give it some thought, then, and act as you see best. But be careful, Byakuya. You are on the knife's edge with our council. Push them too far and you will lose your place as heir."

"I understand," Byakuya said quietly, watching as the aged man rose and left the tent.

Ichigo waited until they were alone, then moved forward and placed a hand on Byakuya's shoulder.

"Hey, are you okay?" he asked kindly.

A chill went through him as Byakuya gave no sign of hearing him or feeling his touch.

"Byakuya?" he said more stridently, moving in front of him and placing his hands on the Kuchiki heir's face, "Byakuya!"

"I can barely see you anymore," Byakuya said, reaching out with seeking fingers and touching one of the hands that rested on his face, "Ichigo, what is happening to me? In that other place...am I dying?"

Ichigo felt a frightening jolt inside at the words, but he forced the feeling away and looked deeply into the other young man's eyes.

"No," he said firmly, "You are not going to die. I won't let you!"

He felt a sensation like falling and found himself jumping awake to the sound of a squealing monitor. On the bed in front of him, Byakuya's eyes had opened and were widened in distress. He tried to sit up, but was stopped by the protective restraints. His mouth opened in a startled gasp of pain and fear, but no intelligible words emerged.

"It's okay!" Ichigo reassured him, pushing him back down as several healers ran into the room, "Lie back down. You're okay. I promise."

He stepped back, watching with worried eyes as the healers calmed, then sedated the distressed noble.

"Do you have to do that?" Ichigo asked, his voice shaking, "He was starting to wake up."

"I am sorry, yes, we have to sedate him," Hanataro explained, "He is in a critical phase of his recovery, but he is very weak. Too much stress on his body or his emotions could send him into shock and he could die. The sedation will leave him partially awake and more calm. This is for the best."

"Okay," Ichigo whispered, his heart aching as he watched Byakuya's eyes glaze over.

"Thank you for staying with him," Hanataro said sincerely, "You and the others. You are really helping him. Despite how it looks right now, he is improving. We will heal him. I promise we will."

Ichigo watched in silence as the healers completed their work, then left the room, admonishing him to eat and rest. He ignored the words and returned to the senseless noble's side, sitting down and taking an unnervingly chilled and limp hand in his.

"You're gonna be okay," he whispered, unsure whether he meant to reassure Byakuya or himself, "I promise you'll be okay. Just trust me, all right?"

His eyes rounded and the hand that held Byakuya's shook as the noble's voice somehow managed to sound in a hoarse, trembling reply.

"I trust you."

"Good," Ichigo whispered in a choked voice, tears flooding his eyes, "Because I'm not letting you go anywhere. Rukia, Tetsuya, Renji, we're all here, taking turns sitting with you. You are not alone, Byakuya. You haven't been alone for a minute."

Unable to reply, the noble tightened the fingers of the hand Ichigo held and the dark eyes cleared slightly and fixed trustingly on his.

_Thank you, Ichigo._

Ichigo's hand slid into the sleeve of the noble's yukata and found the ginger haired bear, then squeezed it gently, making it growl softly. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his face on Byakuya's hand as he dropped off to sleep and found himself returned to the Kuchiki council chambers.

"Never!" Isas hissed furiously, "Never in all of the years of our existence has a member of this family directly defied the will of the elders and remained as heir! This is an outrage! You must all see now how unfit Byakuya is for this position among us. Not only did he take that little strumpet's word over that of a member of our clan, he _married her without either our blessing or permission_!"

"My grandson has explained that action," Ginrei stated solemnly, "and while I do not agree with his choice to marry Hisana of Inuzuri, I do understand that he felt he had no choice. There is no question that the power that struck her was Orochi's. And he has given conflicting statements, at first claiming not to have been there, then saying that he encountered her robbing my incapacitated grandson. Adding to the confusion, Lady Hisana had no prior convictions for robbery or any crime and has a reputation in Inuzuri of being a humanitarian."

"Are you calling my son a liar? Taking that peasant girl's word over his?"

"I am considering the evidence," Ginrei stated firmly, "We cannot be conclusive about exactly what happened, but I do believe Byakuya felt that, as she was injured on his behalf, he had no choice to act as he did. I move that we accept Lady Hisana into the family and allow Byakuya to retain his title as heir."

"I think we all sympathize with Byakuya in that it was a confusing situation," Head Elder Nori posited, "but it was rash, marrying her without proper courtship and ceremony. And Byakuya has several times thwarted the will of the council. If he is to remain as heir, I think we need some reassurance that this will not continue to plague us. So, as a measure of protection for our good name, I must insist on making the retaining of his title contingent upon him refraining from taking any further action against our will. He will be a great leader, Lord Ginrei. But he must learn to be wise and not so headstrong."

"I understand," Ginrei said calmly, placing a hand on his silent and pale-faced grandson's shoulder, "Byakuya will attend to the council's will faithfully, as you have granted Hisana acceptance into the family and have allowed him to continue as heir, provided he does not transgress again."

Byakuya remained silent as the meeting concluded and he and Ginrei exited the hall.

"Well," Ginrei sighed, "we can breathe a sigh of relief. As long as you are cautious, things will be fine."

"I will be careful," Byakuya said softly, "And Grandfather, I am sorry to have disgraced my father's memory."

"Oh, you've done nothing of the sort. Don't listen to those old men. They don't know so much. Just do not anger them again, my boy," Ginei said, touching his face gently, "You are this clan's best hope. It would be devastating to see that go to waste."

"I won't let it," Byakuya promised, "I will remain within the confines of our laws from now on."

"That's a good boy," Ginrei said approvingly as they entered Kuchiki Manor, "Now, you should get some rest. Go."

The old man followed the walkway and disappeared into his room, leaving Byakuya looking after him. The heir sighed and walked out into the gardens, pausing in a quiet clearing and breathing in the scent of the flowers.

"Are you still here, Ichigo?" he whispered, closing his eyes, "I don't think I can feel you here anymore. I know you never promised to stay, but..."

"Lord Byakuya?" Hisana's voice said, breaking into the noble's reverie, "I heard you'd come back. I hope that they weren't too harsh with you."

"Everything is fine," Byakuya assured her in a quieter, more determined tone, "I am fine. But you should be resting."

"Oh, I've rested as much as I can. I feel much better. And I will feel even better after a walk with you around the gardens."

"Very well."

"Lord Byakuya?"

"Hisana, you are my wife now. You do not need to use my title."

"I understand. But are you sure this was the right thing? To anger the council like that? I know you wanted to help me, but..."

"Don't worry about that," Byakuya said solemnly, "You put yourself at risk to protect me when I was vulnerable to my cousin. You and I know that is the truth, whatever anyone else says. I am surrounded by these people who think blood is the deciding factor in everything. Having you at my side reminds me that's not true. There are more important things. Do not question this anymore."

"But don't you ever want to fall in love? Have children? A family of your own?"

"You are my family," Byakuya assured her, "and even if you are too fragile to bear children, you are my wife and...my best friend. There is nothing in that to be regretful about. Come now, the plum trees have begun to blossom. Let's not hesitate to enjoy this lovely day."

Ichigo watched as the two walked away.

"I had no idea it was like that," he whispered, "You were such a different person then, Byakuya."

He watched sadly as Hisana paused and coughed several times.

"And I think I know why now. I know why you were such a cold person when I met you. Hisana risked herself to protect you and she eventually paid with her life. That was a lot of weight to carry alone...but...remember, you're not alone anymore."

Ichigo felt himself drawn back into the room where Byakuya laid, recovering. His hand tightened on the Kuchiki heir's and his eyes opened...to find Byakuya's dark, trusting eyes gazing steadily back at him.


End file.
